Come In From the Rain
by LANIKI
Summary: House met someone in college who became a good friend and an important force in his life. House/OC pairing. NO SLASH! Rated M mostly for language, with a little smut thrown in later.
1. Prologue

**Sorry - for those already reading this - I screwed up and deleted chapters instead of documents! Stupid me! So I'm reposrtign the first three chapters.**

Prologue

"Hello asshole!" the voice on the phone said.

"Bob." House replied, recognizing it immediately. "How's it hangin', weirdo?"

"Like always, jerk. Listen, I'm going to be in Princeton next week. Think you can tear yourself away from that hospital this time?"

"Maybe. If you're buying."

"Those days are over. You're the big shot doctor now."

House smiled. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Bob. Over twenty years for sure. They'd been supposed to get together a few years earlier, the last time Bob had been in Princeton, but House had had a patient and couldn't get away.

"I think we can work something out."

He could hear the laughter in Bob's voice. It was always like that with them. They talked to each other once in awhile on the phone over the years, more recently on email, but it was always as though they'd spoken hours ago instead of months or years.

"Okay, Greg, next Friday. Where's a good place/"

"Callahan's on 6th. What time?"

"Seven. And if you cancel again, I swear this time I will beat your sorry ass."

"Ha! As if you could. But I'll be there."

They hung up. God, it would be great to see Bob again. He sat back in his chair and thought about when they met.

It was his freshman year at Johns Hopkins University. He even remembered the date: April 1. April Fool's Day. And what a fool he'd been. Of course, he'd been a fool about a woman. Only a woman could make a man really behave like an idiot. Correction, only a beautiful woman. The funny thing was, even though he remembered that she was beautiful, her looks eluded him.

In his mind's eye, he could see long golden hair and a curvy, sexy body. He'd certainly fallen hard when he'd first seen her in History class. And she talked to him. And went out with him! He thought he'd died and went to heaven. The girl of his dreams was his.

Until she stood him up.

Her roommate told him. She was out with a senior who lived in a house off-campus. He got the address and started walking, then running to the house. It started to rain on the way, getting harder as he got closer. Before long, he was soaked to the skin. And the rain kept coming.

When he found her house, he banged on the door.

The guy that opened it was shorter than him, but probably weighed close to three hundred pounds. Dull brown hair, in a shaggy cut that looked do-it-yourself. Loose jeans and an equally loose, oversized Hopkins sweatshirt completed the package. He looked younger than House. He didn't even look like he shaved yet.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked House.

Out of breath from the run, House panted out, "Is Patrice here?"

The guy at the door rolled his eyes. "No, she's not. She's out with Brock the Jock."

"Shit!" House spit out.

The guy shook his head. "Come in from the rain. You're dripping al over the porch. And I will tell you a story."

House stepped in and the guy disappeared, then returned seconds later with some towels.

"Dry off, or my housemates will kill me." He handed the towels to House. "Who are you?"

"Greg."

"Hey, Greg, I'm Robbie."

"Hi, Bob."

"No, it's Robbie."

"Right, Bob. What do you know about Patrice?"

"Sit down. Want a beer?"

House nodded. Bob went to the fridge and pulled out two beers, then sat down and handed one to House.

"She's a bitch, Greg. She and Brock the Jock have been together all year. Then they fight or she feels 'neglected' and she goes off and dates other guys until Brock gets all weepy and begs her to come back. And she drops the other guy like a hot potato."

House shook his head. "No, she's…"

"A bitch. Yeah, yeah, I know she's pretty. And she made you think you were the only guy for her. Big deal. She's a bitch."

"But god, is she gorgeous? Don't you get a boner every time you look at her?"

"I don't."

"Are you gay?"

"No. Look Greg, she's not worth your time. And not worth running here in a thunderstorm and maybe catching pneumonia over."

House still looked so depressed, so Bob continued. "Are you a freshman?"

House nodded.

"Well, I'm almost a junior. Been here a little longer than you. And I've seen bitches like her before. She's not worth it."

"You're a junior? You look younger than me."

"Hey, I've got a baby face, what can I say?"

House took a drag on his beer, thinking about it. "So you think there's no chance with her?"

"No fucking way."

House nodded. "Thanks for the beer. Guess I'd better get back to my dorm."

Bob looked at him, considering. "Have you done your housing for next year yet?"

"No."

"Second year, you can go off-campus. Brock the Jock is a senior and he's leaving. So is one more person. If we have six people guaranteed, and give the landlord three months rent in advance, he'll save this place for us. What do you think?"

House was confused. "About what?"

"Living here. Unless you really love the dorms."

"I really don't love the dorms. What's the rent?"

Bob told him and House thought about it. It was a good deal and it would be really cool to be in a house instead of the dorms.

"I'll take it."

"Great. Come by tomorrow and you can meet the others."

"Okay." House got up and headed for the door. "Good meeting you, Bob."

"Same here, Greg. And by the way, the reason the name is Robbie is that it's short for Roberta. I'm a girl."

"No fucking way!

"Yep. Want me to show you my boobs?"

"What boobs?"

"Ooh, harsh. They're there. Just kind of surrounded by the fat."

"Come on, you can't be a girl. You don't act or talk like a girl."

"My mom died before I was two. I was raised by my dad, uncle and three male cousins."

"Damn. I never would have guessed."

"Is it a problem?"

"If it isn't a problem for you, why should I give a fuck? Ah, sorry."

Bob laughed. "Don't stress, man. I'm used to it. Been using that language since I was a kid."

House smiled. "I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

"Play it again, Sam."

They both laughed and had another beer.


	2. PART 1 Chapter 1

PART 1

Chapter 1

The day after meeting Bob, House returned to meet the other residents of the house. They were all guys and he wondered briefly about this one girl, Bob, who could share living space with all of these guys. But she seemed perfectly at ease with her housemates and they didn't treat her any differently from the other guys.

They all sat in the living room and explained the rules of the house to him.

"This is a great place. It's only two blocks from the campus, so you don't have to pay for bus fare. It's got nice sized bedrooms, so you don't feel all cramped in. There's enough furniture here that we don't have to buy stuff. The rent's cheap. And if a couple of us want to stay for the summer, he gives us a break on the price. So all we have to do is not screw it up. No crazy parties, nothing that will get us thrown out. Anyone living here that doesn't follow the rules is out. Immediately. You don't like those rules, don't move in."

"I can live with that." House said.

"Okay, we'll need first month's rent before the semester is over. The landlord likes to get September's rent now and he'll keep the house for us."

"No problem. I'll have it for you next week."

"Good."

"And did you say I might be able to live her this summer?" House asked.

"You staying on campus?"

"Yeah, I'm taking some classes and working as an orderly at the hospital."

"Cool. Robbie's staying too. Doing an internship."

Bob gave him a thumbs up. He smiled at her.

And so, when the semester ended, House moved his stuff to his new quarters.

The house was old and not particularly attractive, but large, bright and roomy. There was a front porch, with a few beach chairs and old rocking chairs on it. The front door opened into the living room, which held a sofa, several chairs and a communal TV set and stereo. There was a dining room with an old scratched table and some mismatched chairs. It was used for study sessions as much as for meals. The kitchen was filled with old, but working appliances, a small table and four chairs. There was also a small den that had been turned into another bedroom. The kitchen led to a fairly large backyard.

The second floor held three bedrooms, but the large master bedroom had been subdivided into two rooms. The door to each bedroom locked and each resident was given a key. The third floor also held two bedrooms. One of these was House's room.

Like the other rooms in the house, it was fairly large and held a single bed, a dresser and a chair. When Bob showed it to him, she said, "You're free to bring your own fridge if you want, but no hot plate. Someone almost burned the place down once. What a shithead!"

House laughed. Bob had a mouth on her and didn't mind employing colorful language often.

"Comes from being raised in an all male home. There was no one there to tell the guys not to cuss, so they did. No one cared until I started using it at school. Teachers don't like it when you tell them to go fuck themselves."

House chuckled. "Yeah, I found that out – the hard way."

Bob smiled. "So then, my dad and my uncle explained to me that you have to clean up the language at school and other public places. Trouble was I didn't know which words weren't allowed. I needed Carlin's seven words you can't say. Except there were even more."

She shook her head. "The worse thing was people saying, 'a young lady shouldn't speak like that!' What kind of shit was that? What the fuck did I know about being a 'young lady'? What the hell did I care either?"

"It's that people expect you to be a certain thing because of your family, your name or, in your case, your sex. My dad's an officer in the Marines, so I'm supposed to be the clean cut, rah-rah type who follows the rules."

"And you aren't?" she asked.

"Fuck that."

"People expect you to be like your dad."

"Yep. My dad especially."

"Well, that sucks. Good thing about my dad? He didn't expect me to be anything. He and my uncle are auto mechanics. They have their own business. My cousins work there too. I could have joined them. I've helped out as a summer job. But I wanted to go to college. And my dad was okay with that. Said my mom would have been happy."

As they got to know each other, there were many conversations like this. Talking about their past and the things they had in common – which were a lot. They talked about their futures too. Or at least, the futures they hoped they would have.

House would have expected Bob to be majoring in something to do with sports or the sciences. She seemed so masculine, he pictured her in a masculine profession.

But to his surprise, her major was Art History.

"I've always loved art," she told him, "I can't draw worth a damn. But I still spent my free time at the art museum or wandering around art galleries."

"But what the hell can you do with a degree in Art History?"

"Work in a museum."

"Probably pays shit."

"Yep."

"Then why would you do it?"

"It's where I love being. I don't care about money. As long as I can eat and pay my rent, I don't need much money. I don't spend much on clothes. Mostly wear jeans or sweats."

"Won't you have to wear nicer clothes in a museum?"

"They usually have uniforms which they will supply."

"So you're going to college to be a museum tour guide?"

"Not just a tour guide. I could identify art, do some procurement. Things like that."

"Whatever floats your boat." He told her.

"So you're pre-med?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why do you want to be a doctor?"

He shrugged. "Just always did. Like you and the museum. I like science, I like puzzles and mysteries."

"I never thought of medicine as a mystery."

"It can be." He told her the story of the doctor in Japan that looked like the janitor.

"So are you going to dress like the janitor too?"

"Maybe. It doesn't matter. You only have to be the best and know the answers."

She stared at him for a few moments, then shook her head. "I don't. I just need to do a job that I enjoy."

"What about this internship you're doing?" he asked her.

"What about it?"

"What is it?"

"Working in a museum, dumbass, what else?"

"What will you be doing there?"

"Mostly back room stuff – unpacking, labeling, that kind of stuff."

"They paying you?"

"Yep."

"Cool."

House was surprised at how much he enjoyed Bob's company and how much they had in common. They both enjoyed sports – almost all of them. They liked sci-fi and action movies. They were smart and had very little time for stupid people.

House thought they had one more thing in common.

There were standing in line at the movies when two extremely pretty girls walked by.

"Wow." House said. "Now they are hot."

Bob shrugged. "I guess."

"They don't turn you on?"

She glared at him. "Why should they?"

House gave her a pointed look and raised his eyebrows.

"You asshole!" she said. "I'm not a lesbian. I like men. Granted, they mostly don't like me, but that's not the point."

"So you're saying you'd rather sleep with me than one of those hot chicks?"

"Yes. Well, not you, you're a dumbass freshman. But those of your gender."

From then on, Bob would point out hot women for him and he would find men for her. The only difference was that sometimes House would actually talk to the women, ask them out and occasionally score with them.

Bob would never talk to the guys.

When House asked her why, she grimaced. "Why do you think?

"If I knew why, I wouldn't ask."

"Have you looked at me? Guys don't exactly want to make it with someone who looks like their brother."

"Bullshit. There could be guys who…'

"Do you want to sleep with me?"

House was startled by the question. "What?"

"Am I speaking a foreign language that you don't know? Would you want to sleep with me?"

"No, but…"

"I rest my case."

"Just because I don't, doesn't mean that other guys wouldn't."

"You know me and presumably like me. And you'll sleep with almost anything."

"That's just it. We're friends, it would be weird for me. But someone else …"

"Would just want a piece of easy ass. Because I guarantee he wouldn't be blown away by my beauty or lithe figure. Nor would he be taken in by my feminine charms. The only guy who'd want to sleep with me has probably been in prison for ten years and hasn't had a woman, so any vagina would do."

House looked at her. She was partially right – men really wouldn't be attracted to her looks. But that was mostly because she did nothing to enhance them.

She was at least one hundred pounds overweight. But that wasn't a turn-off for all men. Some liked larger girls. But the rest of the package wasn't helping her. Her hair was a mousy brown, worn in a long shag which did nothing for her. She never wore make-up and didn't take any care with her skin, so there was acne on her face. Her wardrobe was atrocious and consisted mainly of sweat pants and t-shirts.

On the plus side, she had lovely hazel eyes and long eyelashes; nice straight teeth and a killer smile. Her smile made you feel like you'd been her best friend forever.

And despite her salty language, her personality was warm and friendly. She was a no nonsense, natural type person. She often called House on his cynicism and glum moods.

"Come on, asshole." She'd say. "Smile. Things aren't that bad."

"Yes, they are. My teachers are jerks, my boss at the hospital is a moron and all you do is spout platitudes at me."

"All I do is put up with your bad moods. You're lucky to have a friend who does that. Most people would tell you to go to hell."

"Why don't you?"

"Push me and I will."

They smiled at each other, comfortable in their budding friendship.


	3. PART 1 Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Since Bob had the summer internship at the museum, she was making more money than House was, as he only had a part time job as an orderly. So ultimately, House would get Bob to pay when they went somewhere.

"You've got the big shot museum job." House would say. "I'm just picking up shit in the hospital."

So Bob did. She didn't really mind. She'd never really had a close friend like this. Most people didn't know what to make of her. She looked and acted like a boy, but was actually a girl. Growing up, she'd been the outcast. She sometimes hung out with the boys, playing baseball or climbing trees, but often as not, they'd shut her out. The girls thought she was weird and truly, she had no interest in Barbie dolls or other 'girly' activities. So when she discovered the museums, she ended up spending most of her free time there.

College hadn't been much better for her. She was still an anomaly to both the male and female students. The first year in the dorm was torture. Her roommate had been a very pretty girl with lots of boyfriends whom she invited to stay – a lot. After many nights spent in the common room of the dorm, Bob had had it. When she was able to leave the dorm, she jumped at the chance and was thrilled to find the off-campus house.

Since House's childhood had been isolated as well, through the many moves his father's career had forced on him, they understood each other. He thought her appearance and manner were both a little strange, but he knew he was pretty strange himself. They recognized kindred spirits in each other.

Their summer was a blast. Movies, sporting events, sneaking into bars or using fake ID's to buy beer, everything was more fun because they did it together. House never remembered laughing as much as he did that summer.

When fall came and the other housemates returned, House was afraid that it would all end. But it didn't. The other students were still cordial but distant with Bob and she half-expected House to follow suit. But he never followed anyone's lead. He and Bob had become friends and he'd had too few friends in his life. He didn't know if he'd ever find another one. So Bob and House would meet on campus, eating lunch together and walking to and from class.

Their friendship grew stronger.

Thanksgiving approached. House's dad was stationed in California, so he convinced his parents that it would be too expensive to fly there for the four-day holiday.

Bob's family lived in Millsboro, Delaware. She convinced him to come home with her. Not having good experiences with family, he was wary, but she told him her family was cool.

And they were. When she drove up to the big, old house, four large men came running out to greet her. They crowded around and were truly happy that she was home.

They consisted of her father, Walter Janorski, her uncle George Janorski and her cousins Joe and Pete.

And they welcomed him into their fold, but said they would have to fatten him up.

They tried. These guys loved to eat and there wasn't a salad among them. French fries were served at every meal. It was the most original Thanksgiving he'd ever had.

Her father and uncle had managed to feed the three kids while they were growing up, though they had probably never met many nutritional guidelines.

So her uncle made a huge turkey with lots of stuffing – so much that they needed a big casserole dish for the overflow. Side dishes were candied sweet potatoes with little marshmallows, French fries (of course) and corn – the only vegetable that ever touched their table.

There were four kinds of pie for dessert.

But the best part of dinner was that it was eaten in front of the television while watching football and shouting at the players. His mother would have had a heart attack, but House loved it.

Bob's birthday was December 1, the following week, so everyone decided to celebrate while she was home. The whole family, plus House, went to dinner at a local restaurant.

It was a well-known family restaurant that served an assortment of food and sported a large salad bar -- one that also contained potato salad, macaroni salad and many types of breads, luckily for the Janorski men. Everyone in town went there at one time or another. House saw several college age couples on dates, as well as families.

Bob was headed to the salad bar, when she was intercepted by two girls. They were beautiful and sexy, with long hair attractively styled and perfectly made-up faces.

"Well, look," the first one said, "It's Robbie Ginormicorski. Back home, are we?"

Bob tried to ignore her and continue on, but she put her hand on Bob's arm.

"Aren't you going to say hello to me? I thought we were friends"

House was a few feet behind her and watched the exchange. He'd also heard the rude nickname. Those same girls had eyed him flirtatiously when he'd come in.

He approached the group.

"Hi." He said.

The girls smiled and Bob tried to escape, but he took her hand in his.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friends, honey?"

She stared at him briefly, saw his almost imperceptible wink and said, "Um, yeah, this is Christy and Margo. I went to high school with them."

"Nice to meet you." He said. "I'm Greg, Roberta's boyfriend."

The girls' mouths dropped open as they looked at him, at Bob, then back to him.

"You're her boyfriend?" Christy asked.

"Yeah, we met in college. Actually," he said conspiratorially, "We're living together, but don't tell her dad."

House put his arm around Bob's shoulder and squeezed her arm. The girls were speechless.

"Come on honey, let's go get our salads. Have a good evening."

They walked away, leaving the girls standing there in shock.

Bob held her laughter until they were at the salad bar, but just barely.

"That was great! Did you see their faces?"

"Yeah." He chuckled while piling lettuce on his plate.

"Thanks for lying like that."

"Hey, I didn't lie. I'm your friend and the last time I checked, I'm still a boy. And we are living together. Anyway, I hate pretentious bitches.'

They made their salads and returned to the table. Laughing, they told her family what had happened. Everyone got a kick out of it. House dug into his food, but Bob picked at hers. She glanced at the young man beside her and thought about what it would be like to truly be his girlfriend.

Later that night, as she was laying on her bed reading, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in." she called out.

Her father walked in. "Hey Robbie."

"Hi, Dad."

Her father was a bear of a man, with large hands and strong arms. But Walter Janorski was as kind as he was big.

He sat gingerly on the edge of her bed.

"Greg's a nice guy." He said.

"Yeah."

"So you two are friends."

"Yep. We hang out together, go to games, eat. You know, stuff you do with your buddies."

Walter looked at the floor. "Except you don't think of him as your 'buddy', do you?"

She stilled. "What do you mean"

"You like him. The way a woman likes a man."

"That's crazy, Dad. He's my pal."

"I saw the way you were looking at him tonight."

She didn't say anything.

"Robbie, I know I didn't raise you the way I should've."

"What are you talking about, Dad? You raised me just fine."

"I raised you more as a boy than a girl."

"You raised me fine. I had a blast with you guys."

"But I didn't teach you anything about being a girl. I couldn't. And now you don't know what to do when you like a guy."

"I told you…"

"Don't try to fool me, kid. I can tell. You need to talk to him, tell him how you feel."

"I can't. Dad, what Greg did tonight, with those girls? Well, it was nice of him, but in another place, he'd be asking those girls out and sleeping with them if he could. That's the kind of woman he wants."

She looked down at herself. "Not one like me."

Walter picked up the picture on her night table of a heavyset woman holding a baby. "Your mom was beautiful. What she was doing with a mug like me, I never knew."

Bob smiled. The pictures she'd seen of her mother showed her a woman that was lovely. She was also probably a hundred pounds overweight. Her overtaxed heart had been strained when she gave birth to Bob and less than two years later, she'd died.

"My mom was smart. She knew a good catch when she saw one."

"Some men like women with some meat on their bones."

"Yeah, but do they like an entire steer?" She laughed. "Thing is, Greg said almost the same thing to me."

"Well, see?"

"He said some guys do. Not him. Don't worry, Dad, I'm fine. I'm happy."

Walter stared at his daughter a few moments more before nodding, giving her a kiss and leaving.

Bob put down her book and turned off her lamp. She lay in her bed thinking of the blue-eyed man sleeping on the sofa downstairs and knowing he would never be hers, not in any way other than friendship. She sighed and turned over.

Oh well, she thought, there was always fantasy.


	4. PART 1 Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They returned to school and finished out the semester. House's mother insisted that he come home for Christmas. He finally agreed, but convinced her that he couldn't stay for more than about a week because of his job. The truth was that he'd been fired from the orderly job for mouthing off to the doctors. But it made a good excuse.

Bob went home to her family. She had always enjoyed being with them, especially at the holidays. But this year, there was something lacking. She missed House.

When he returned to Baltimore, he called her. She wanted him to come to stay with her family, but he said no. He'd enjoyed being with them at Thanksgiving, but after Christmas with his parents, he'd had enough of families.

He was broke and without Bob around to pay for things, he was stranded with nothing to do. He hit the streets to look for a job and finally found one as a busboy. He hated it and wished he were still working at the hospital. But it gave some money to take girls out, so he endured.

Bob worried about him while she was gone. She knew he had no money and no car and even after he got the busboy job, she knew how much he hated it. She felt a need to protect him. He seemed to be such a sad and lonely little boy. She wished she could do more for him, but she wasn't his girlfriend and there was a limit to what she could do.

But she still wanted to be sure he was okay.

Her cousins had gone to the SPCA and brought home a big, friendly dog that was mixed with so many breeds, no one knew what he was. But everyone fell in love with him. She went with Joe and Pete to the pet store to buy stuff. While they filled their cart with bowls, toys, treats and a leash, something caught Bob's eye. It was a large tennis ball, colored red and gray. It was meant for you to toss to your dog, but for some reason, she thought of House when she saw it.

When she returned to school and presented it to him, he looked at her as if she was nuts.

"Don't you think I have big enough balls already?"

"Come on, toss it a few times. It's fun." She told him.

After giving her a strange look, he picked it up and threw it in the air. Then he did it again. And again. Then he smiled.

"See? I told you. It's fun."

"Thanks." He tossed it a few more times.

The semester was much like the previous one. They went to class and hung out together.

When April was coming, they decided to celebrate the anniversary of the day they met. Since Bob was now twenty-one, they didn't have to fake an ID. She picked up some beer and some scotch. They bought pizza and chips and had their own party. They ended up totally wasted, but happy that their friendship had lasted a year. Neither had ever had a friend for that long.

The museum where Bob had worked the previous summer had an opening for a part-time tour guide. She really wanted to do it. But she had to apply and go on an interview. House asked her what she was wearing to the interview.

She shrugged. "Jeans, what else?"

"Do you really want this job?"

"Yes."

"Then you have to dress for it."

She looked at him incredulously. "This from you? Didn't you tell me about that doctor in Japan that—"

"When you're the best, you can do whatever the hell you want. But you have to get the job first."

"Right, that's why you're still working at the hospital."

"Those doctors were morons. But I still dressed the right way when I applied for the job."

While she was thinking about that, he added, "Plus you're a girl. If that's what you want to be, then be a girl. People get confused if you're in between. They don't know what to make of you, so they'd rather stay away."

She realized the sense of what he said, so she went shopping and bought a nice pair of black pants, a white sleeveless sweater and a black blazer. She also went to the hairdresser and had her hair cut in a shorter, more stylish way.

She got the job.


	5. PART 1 Chapter 4

Chapter 4

That summer, Bob was working a lot for the museum, doing tours, children's programs, etc. She couldn't give House as much time as she had the previous summer. Luckily, he ran into a gullible fellow with a car, who didn't mind driving them wherever House wanted to go.

When Bob met Dylan Crandall, she shook her head and later told House, "What the hell do you have in common with that guy?"

"I have an ass and he has a car with a seat that holds it."

"Don't you mean you are an ass?"

"That too. But I still like to ride to places and since you decided to work too damn much, someone has to drive me around."

Whenever Bob wasn't working, she joined House and Crandall on their ramblings. She offered to drive, but House said Crandall didn't mind and Crandall agreed.

Then Crandall broke up with his girlfriend. House was vague about what happened and she suspected he had something to do with it. Anyway Crandall decided to leave Baltimore, so it was House and Bob again.

When the fall semester began, with her a senior and him a junior, they were a solid unit.

Bob started to wear nicer clothes. She began to like being thought of as a girl instead of a guy. There was a frat party that House had been invited to and everyone knew you didn't invite House without inviting Bob.

He was ready to go and headed down to her room. He tried to open it, but found it was locked. He knocked.

"Bob? What's up? Aren't you ready to go?"

"I'll be out in a minute." She called out.

He waited for much longer than a minute, knocking a few times and yelling for her in between before she finally opened the door. He had to blink to make sure it was Bob.

She was wearing black jeans and a deep turquoise sweater. He hair was curled and she was wearing…make-up!

"Whoa, when did you become a girl?" he asked her.

"Shut up, asshole."

"Ah, there's my Bob." He smiled as they left together for the party.

It was a typical frat party. Lots of alcohol, drugs and sex. House soon found some girls to party with, while Bob retreated to the usual group of nerds that she always managed to find to talk with.

But that night, as she was filling up her cup with more beer, someone said, "Hi."

She looked up to see a young man smiling at her.

She smiled and said, "Hi."

"Are you here with someone?"

"Yes, I mean, no. I mean I came with my friend."

"Good. I was afraid you were here with a date."

She laughed. "Yeah, right."

He was still smiling, not laughing. "Well, it was a possibility."

She looked at him closely. No, he didn't look insane.

"It's really stuffy in here, let's go outside and talk."

"Sure."

His name was Jack and when she talked, he looked into her eyes and really listened. And he looked her as if she was a desirable woman, instead of who she really was.

They talked and laughed together all evening. She couldn't remember enjoying herself so much – without House around, that is.

House had connected with a girl – well, actually he had connected with several girls throughout the night – but now he was ready to go home with one of them. He knew he had to tell Bob first. He searched the usual places, but couldn't find her.

When he saw her at last, he stopped short. She was kissing a guy! Bob was kissing a guy?

He approached them and coughed, loudly. Bob looked up, saw him and smiled.

He scowled at her. "I'm ready to leave."

Knowing that he usually found a girl to go home with, she said, "Okay, go ahead."

"Aren't you leaving?"

Jack said to her, "I can see you home, Roberta."

Roberta? Who was this joker?

"You should leave now." House told her.

She gave him a look. "Greg, can I talk to you in private?"

He nodded and they moved away from Jack.

"What the hell is this about?" she demanded.

"Who is that guy? What do you know about him?"

"He's a nice guy and for some reason, he seems to like me."

"You don't know anything about him. And he looks weird to me."

"Oh, sure, if a guy is interested in the fat girl, he must be crazy."

"I didn't say that."

"That's what you're thinking."

"Don't tell me what I'm thinking."

"Then don't tell me who to talk to or go out with!"

He was upset now. "You're going to go out with him? Are you going to sleep with him too?"

"Maybe. If he's interested and I want to, yes, I may very well sleep with him."

"You can't do that!"

"Why the hell not?"

"Because…because…" He wasn't sure what to say to her.

"Did you find a girl for tonight?"

He didn't answer.

"Why don't you go fuck the pretentious bitch that you found and leave me alone to sleep with whoever the hell I want?"

She pulled her car keys out of her pocket and threw them at him. "You can use my car. Jack will take me home."

She walked away from him and he knew there was nothing else he could say to her. He returned to the girl who was waiting for him. She was a pretentious bitch, but a gorgeous and sexy one. He was tempted to abandon the idea of sleeping with her, but his twenty-year-old hormones thought better of that idea and he took the girl home. At twenty, a guy can almost always perform; even when he's upset, but he didn't go for round two and he didn't stay the night.

He returned home after two a.m. and walked up to her bedroom door. It was locked, so he knocked gently, calling out softly, "Bob?"

There was no response, so he went up the stairs to his room. He stayed awake for over an hour, listening for her, but didn't hear anything. Eventually he fell asleep.

The next morning when he got up, he went to her room and tried the knob. It was locked, but he could hear soft snoring inside. At least she was home. He breathed a sigh of relief and went downstairs to get something to eat.

He was in the living room, watching mindless TV when she came down. She ignored him and went to the kitchen. About fifteen minutes later, she returned to the living room with a cup of coffee in her hand and sat down on the chair opposite the sofa.

He tried waiting for her to speak, but soon gave up and started asking her, "So where…"

But she interrupted him. "What was that about last night? Why did you act like such a dickhead?"

"I don't know. I just didn't want to see you make a fool of yourself with that guy."

"Is that what you think? That the second I have a guy interested in me, I'm going to make a fool of myself? That I don't know how to behave around men?"

"Did you sleep with him?"

"That's none of your fucking business!"

"You did."

"No, I didn't, but it's still none of your business."

"You didn't? Are you sure?"

She glared at him. "I'm not a moron. I know what it means to have sex with a guy. And I did not do it."

He took a deep breath, relieved.

"But I came really close."

It was his turn to glare at her. "What?"

"We made out – a lot. And we fooled around. Definitely first base, maybe second and creeping toward third. I'm going out with him tonight. I think it might be home run time."

House stared at the floor. He didn't know why this bothered him, but it did. And he knew he had to tell her.

"Bob, you can't just do it like that."

"Why not? I like him. He seems to like me. Christ, Greg, I'm almost twenty-two years old. This is my first real date! I'm more than ready."

"That's just it. It's your first date. You're backed up, I got that. But that doesn't mean you have sex with the first guy you meet."

"How can you say that to me? You sleep with any girl that crosses your path."

"True, but I'm a guy."

"Oh, don't give me that fucking double standard! I was not raised that way. I could never use being a girl as an excuse for anything. I'm not going to fall into that now."

"You may not like it, but that's the way it is. It's different for girls. People judge women differently when it comes to sex."

"I hate that."

He hesitated, still unsure why this conversation was bothering him so much. "Just don't do anything you really don't want to do."

"I want to have sex!"

"I know you do, but be sure this is the guy you want to have sex with."

She looked at him, then nodded. "Jack is picking me up, so if you want to use my car, you can."

He nodded his thanks.


	6. PART 1 Chapter 5

Chapter 5

He thought he'd cruise the bars for a woman, since he had the car, but his heart wasn't in it. He picked up some beer and a couple of McDonald's burgers. Then he returned home and stretched out on the sofa with his feast.

He was dozing, when he was jarred awake by the ringing telephone. He stumbled to the table by the stairs where the phone sat and picked it up.

"What?" he said, in a sleep-slurred voice.

"Greg. Thank God, it's you." Bob said. "Can you pick me up?"

"What? Who… Bob, that you?"

"Yes. Come and pick me up."

"Where the hell are you?"

"Little Italy."

"What…"

"Just come and get me." She gave him the address. He told her he'd be there.

After splashing some water on his face to wake himself up, he put on his sneakers, grabbed her keys and was on his way.

He found her sitting on a bench outside of an Italian restaurant in the Little Italy section of Baltimore. When she saw him pull up, she jumped up and ran into the car. He looked at her and started to speak, but she just shook her head.

"Just drive. I just want to get home. We can talk then."

So he did. It was only a few minutes drive anyway. Once they were inside, she sat on the sofa and closed her eyes. He watched her for a moment, then went into the kitchen and returned a minute later with two beers. He handed her one and she took it. She didn't drink, she just held it in her hands like a security blanket.

He sat beside her. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

She sighed and nodded. "I guess so."

She told him the events that had transpired.

It had really started out quite nicely. Jack had picked her up and they went to an upscale, but casual restaurant. They ate, they talked, they laughed. Bob really enjoyed herself. It felt wonderful to have a man so interested in her. Not like Greg, who was just her pal, but a man interested in her as a woman. A few times he put his hand on top of hers or gazed into her eyes.

He made her feel like she was beautiful and desirable.

When they finished dinner, they decided to take a walk. He held her hand as they strolled. They talked and laughed some more.

Finally, he said to her, "It's getting a little chilly out here. Why don't we continue this over a glass of wine at my place?"

"Sure."

She was surprised to find that he had an apartment in Little Italy. Most of the students liked to stay closer to the college, but some people did live there. The building wasn't the nicest she had seen, but that was okay. Unfortunately the apartment wasn't too much better. Still, he was a student. Most of them didn't have too much money and lived wherever they could afford.

She sat on the sofa while he poured wine for both of them. She took a few sips of hers, then he took the glass from her hand and put it on the side table. He reached over and kissed her. She responded. It was nice to kiss him.

She was thinking about whether she would move to the next step with him. Despite her bragging to House, they hadn't done much more the night before than kissing and some groping. She wasn't sure what base that was, but didn't think it was much past first.

She thought about whether she would try for the grand slam home run tonight.

While she was thinking about it, he went past the thinking stage. He started grabbing her breasts and unbuttoning her blouse. She tried to pull back a bit, but he kept at it.

"Wait, Jack, just wait a minute!"

"What? What's the matter? I thought you wanted this."

"I did. I do. Just, can we take our time about it?"

He sat back and looked at her. "How much time do you need to be ready to have sex?"

She stared at him. "What?"

"You heard me. How much time do you need before you're ready for sex? Come on, Roberta, you know why we're here."

"I do?"

"Sure. You want a man to make you think you're skinny and beautiful and I want to get laid. We can play games for another hour or two or we can just get down to it."

She sat in shock, unable to believe he was saying this.

"I'm playing my part." He told her. "I've treated you all night like you're a beauty queen. Do you want me to say it? Okay, here goes. Roberta, you're so beautiful. I want you so much. Can I please make love to you?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was hurt, she wanted to cry. She thought this guy was special. Then she got angry.

"You fucking asshole! Do you think I'm some kind of desperate tramp that will put up with a dickhead like you just to have sex? "

"Nice language, sweetheart. You're not going to get Prince Charming that way."

"If I was looking for Prince Charming, I'd definitely be in the wrong place." She stood up, buttoned up her blouse and reached for her jacket.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Home."

"No fucking way! I wasted last night on you when I could have gotten laid and I spent a wad on dinner. I'm getting laid tonight, whether you like it or not."

He grabbed her arm and threw her back on the sofa. He started to tear at her clothes. She tried to fight him off, but he kept at it. Using his legs, he pushed hers apart and started to reach for her pants to pull them down.

Unfortunately, he didn't know how strong she was and that her cousins had taught her how to fight. The first thing she did, was pull up her knee and aim it for his groin. It was a bullseye. Then she rolled up her fist and socked him in the eye.

While he was writhing on the floor, she pulled her blouse together and picked up her jacket. She put it on and left the apartment. Once she was outside, she started walking as fast as she could to get away from his building.

After she had walked several blocks, she looked around for street signs to see where she was. Then she found the nearest pay phone and pulled a dime out of her jacket pocket and called House.

"And here I am." She told him finally. "The fat girl. Still a virgin and likely to remain one."

He took a deep breath. "Do you want to hear the truth? All of it?"

"Why not?"

"Men are stupid, shallow pigs."

"I knew that."

"No, you didn't. Cause you thought old Jack wasn't like them. That he saw through to your soul after talking to you for five minutes. It doesn't work that way. Men want beautiful women. They want to sleep with them, they want to be seen with them. They don't care if they have a single brain cell. Men think with their dicks."

"So I'm destined to be fat and alone?"

"I didn't say that. Men think with their dicks when they meet women. So a guy who meets you isn't going to want to sleep with you."

"Gee thanks. You've been so helpful."

"You said you wanted the truth. Shut up and listen. Men are going to be swept away by a beautiful woman and want to be with her right away. For a woman like you, a guy would have to get to know you. To find out that you're a smart, funny, terrific person."

"I am?"

"You know you are. But you need to be wary of any guy that tells you everything you want to hear as soon as you meet him. He's probably bullshitting you to get into your pants."

"I guess I know that. I told you that. But does that mean I shouldn't trust any guys?"

"No, you can trust them – after you've gotten to know them and they've gotten to know you."

"I just feel like such a loser. My first almost sexual experience was a disaster."

"Most people didn't have great ones."

"Did you?"

He shrugged. "Okay. Not monumental."

She was silent for a few moments, staring at her hands in her lap. Then she looked at him, meeting his blue eyes with her hazel eyes. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Would you sleep with me?"

He choked on his beer. "What???"

"I don't want my first sexual experience to be with some jerk like Jack that is just using me. And I don't know how long it will be until I find someone who will take the time to get to know me like you said. So if you do it, I know my first will be a good experience."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because, because…" he sputtered, trying to find the words. "We're friends. It would be weird. I'd feel like I was banging one of my buddies."

She looked at him and said. "The truth is that you're just not attracted to me."

He averted his gaze, then sighed and said, "Yeah, well, in a way that's a good thing."

"It is?"

"Sure. If I found you attractive, I would never have become friends with you."

"You wouldn't?"

"No, I would have been too busy trying to bang you. Then once I'd done that, I would have moved on. But we wouldn't be friends like we are now."

"First of all, how do you know you would have banged me?"

He just gave her a look. She smiled, well aware of the way he was with women. "Okay, so maybe you would have. But maybe you would have fallen in love with me and we would still be together."

"Doubtful."

"A few minutes ago, you told me I'm a great person! That guys will fall in love with me when they get to know me."

"They will. But that's because they won't be attracted to you at first."

"That makes no sense at all! Either I'm attractive to men and they want to sleep with me, but won't love me or I'm not, but eventually men will love me? That's ridiculous."

"I know. But it is what it is."

"So you don't find me attractive enough to sleep with me?"

He shrugged. "Men are pigs."

"Stupid shallow pigs."

He nodded.

"It sucks."

"Big time, babe."

She sat back on the sofa, realizing that he would never feel for her what she felt for him. But he was there for her as her friend. She didn't know if that was better or not, but she definitely did not want to lose his friendship.


	7. PART 1 Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was Bob's senior year and as she approached graduation, House though that she would soon be leaving.

"So when are you moving out?" He asked her.

"Who said I'm moving out?"

"Well, you're graduating."

"You trying to get rid of me, jerk?"

"No, I just figured you'd go get a job. You know, do all those grown up things."

She hesitated, then told him. "Actually, I'm thinking about going for my Masters."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, maybe. I don't know. Thing is, the museum offered me a full time job, not as a tour guide, but in the educational office. But they want me to have a Masters. They said I could continue to work there twenty hours a week and study for the Masters. And when I'm done, I'll have a job."

"Wow, that's great."

She shrugged.

"It's not great?" he asked, perplexed.

"It's just that…I never thought about a Masters. I just wanted to learn about Art History and go work as a tour guide in a museum. That's all. This is a lot."

"So? Gee, how sad, a career that's bigger than the one you dreamed about. How will you ever stand it?"

She smiled. "I'm not you, Greg. I don't have big dreams."

"Maybe you should. You're smart and you know your stuff. Why else would the museum want you? They think you have the potential to be something big. So go be something big."

She looked at him and chuckled. "Okay, then I guess I stay here for a little longer. No reason to move out right now."

"Good. Means I don't have to break in a new drinking buddy."

Bob finished her senior year and graduated with a B.A. in Art History. Her family came to Baltimore for her graduation and they all went out to celebrate. She was the first in their family to go to college and they were enormously proud of her.

But she noticed that her father seemed rather subdued. When she asked him, he said he was just missing her mom, since he knew how happy she would be. She didn't totally believe him, but didn't pursue it either, since she knew how close mouthed he could be when he didn't want to talk.

So Bob stayed at the house after her graduation with plans to continue her studies in pursuit of her Masters degree. Which was fine for House. He didn't want to lose his friend. The whole sex situation with her had unsettled him. He didn't want to think about her with a boyfriend. He didn't want to share her with some guy.

But he didn't want to be her boyfriend either. He was sure he didn't. She was his friend and he'd never had a friend like that.

Bob worked all summer at the museum. House had been able to get a job at another hospital. He tried very hard to keep his mouth shut. Luckily, at this hospital, there was a doctor who didn't get mad when he made comments. He actually laughed. And he realized how smart this young man was. He knew he would be a very special doctor some day. So he let him hang around sometimes and he talked to him about the medicine.

House found himself able to control his sarcasm when he was talking to Dr. Printz because the man was intelligent and actually listened to House and answered his questions without treating him like he some sort of moron. He also gave the young pre-med student good advice for applying to medical school, which House would soon be doing.

It was a very productive summer for the future doctor.

In August, Bob got a phone call from her uncle.

"Robbie, you need to come home as soon as you can."

Alarmed by her usually jovial uncle's solemn voice, she asked, "Why? What's the matter Uncle George?"

"It's your dad. He's had a heart attack."

"Oh, my God! Is he going to be alright?"

"Thing is, this isn't his first. He had one back in April."

"April? Why don't I know about that?"

"He didn't want to worry you. You were starting your finals and with your graduation and all, he didn't want to upset you. But his heart was already damaged by the first one and, well, it doesn't look good. That's why you need to come home as soon as you can."

Bob called her job immediately and told them she needed to take some time off. When they found out why, they told her not to worry. Then she started packing some clothes. While she was doing that, House came home. He peeked into her room and saw her packing.

"What's up?" he asked.

She quickly told him about her father. "I'm leaving as soon as I get my things together."

"Wait five minutes until I get my stuff."

"Your stuff?"

"Yeah, I'm coming with you."

"Greg, you don't need to come."

"You're upset. There's no way you can drive all the way to Millsboro like that."

"What about your job?"

"Fuck 'em."

She gave him a look.

"I'll call Ricky. He can cover for me for a few days."

She smiled and nodded. He ran upstairs, threw some clothes quickly into a duffle and was back at her room just as she was closing her suitcase. They were on the road in minutes.

They went directly to the hospital. Her father was in the ICU and the nurse tried to stop her, saying, "Immediate family only."

"I'm his daughter."

"Oh, okay, Miss Janorski. And this young man?" The nurse looked at House.

"He's my brother."

House smiled at the nurse and she nodded and directed the both of them to Walter's room.

She was shocked by what she saw. Her usually robust father looked like a shell of the man he was. His skin was pale, grayish in tone and his eyes were dull and had dark circles around them. They brightened a little when he saw his daughter, but not very much.

"Robbie. You didn't have to come."

"Of course I did. Oh, and meet your son, Greg."

"Hi 'Dad.' " House said with a brief smile.

"That was the only way they'd let Greg in."

"No problem. I'd be proud to have you as a son." Walter told him.

House wished his own father had ever said that to him.

Walter deteriorated very quickly after that. His heart was too damaged to do surgery on it and he was too old for a transplant. It was as if he was waiting to see his daughter before he died. She had only a day or two with him, before his heart just gave out.

In those last few hours, he spoke to her in a weak voice.

"Robbie, honey, don't be all sad for me. You know that I spent the last twenty years missing your mother. It's going to be good to see her again."

"Oh, Dad!"

"Don't be sad." He said again. "And don't be lonely. Tell that guy how you feel about him."

"Sure." She said, knowing she was lying, but unable to tell him that it would never happen.

Within the hour, her father was gone. She proceeded through the wake and funeral in a daze, barely aware of what was happening.

After it was over, she took House to Rehoboth Beach, which was only minutes away from Millsboro. As they walked on the sand, she told him things about her father, memories from her childhood, precious moments that they'd shared.

Even though House had no knowledge of what she was talking about and this closeness between father and child was foreign to him, he knew that she needed this, so he let her talk.

"Things will be different now." She told him.

"Of course."

"I mean, I guess I'm glad I decided to go for the Masters. It would be too hard to have come back home and then lose him. This way, I'll be busy and on my way to a more challenging career."

"You're welcome."

She smiled at him, realizing that he had pushed her to dream bigger than she had ever thought to dream.


	8. PART 1 Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After her father's funeral, Bob returned to Baltimore and to her job. She needed to get herself ready to start the work on her Masters'. But it was harder somehow. Something was missing in her life now. She felt like she really didn't belong anywhere or to anyone.

House tried to help her. He took her to ball games and concerts, anything to get her mind off her dad. But he didn't realize that it only hurt more to be with him. She knew that he was one more thing that she didn't have and never would.

But eventually, she started to come out of her funk. If she couldn't have House as a boyfriend, at least she had him as a friend. As long as she didn't screw that up.

So she went with him whenever she could and smiled and teased him when he had dates with gorgeous girls that she would never be.

Thanksgiving was hard. Her uncle insisted she come home, so she did. But without her father there, she felt like a stranger in the house she'd grown up in. Luckily House had come along as well and they drove to Rehoboth and took walks on the windy November beach. It helped.

Back at school, she worked furiously to finish her Masters. House was completing his senior year. They were both ecstatic when he was accepted to Hopkins' medical school. It meant he could stay right there in Baltimore and in the same house. She was going to work full time at the museum, but could see no reason not to keep living there. The landlord was fine with that, since she was a steady tenant who always paid the rent on time and made sure the others (especially House) did so as well.

House's graduation came and so did his parents. Bob was very curious about them, after the discussions they'd had about their childhoods.

House was not anxious for them to visit and he said as much to Bob.

"But it's your graduation!" she said. "Why wouldn't you want your parents to share that with you?"

"Because they had nothing to do with it. I'm the one that got the scholarship, I'm the one that did the work and got the grades. He didn't even want me to come here or to be a doctor."

"But I'm sure he's still proud of you. After all, you're his son."

House gave her a weird look.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"No, there's something. I know that look."

House hesitated, staring at the ground for a while before he said, "Thing is, he's not really my father."

"What? What are you talking about?"

He gave a rundown of his clues: the toe length, the birthmark and the fact that he had confronted John House with this when he was twelve.

"God, you're such an idiot!"

"Why?"

"That couldn't end well, no matter how you cut it. If he isn't your father and he knows it, he obviously didn't want you to know, so you figuring it out had to upset him. If he isn't your father and he didn't know, he didn't need a twelve-year old telling him his wife had been unfaithful. If he is your father, all he could see was a kid who hated him so much he manufactured a different father. No wonder the two of you didn't get along."

House disagreed. "He's not like your dad. Believe me."

"Greg…"

But he refused to discuss it with her any longer. She let it go – for now – since she knew he would just clam up about it anyway.

He used her car to pick his parents up at the airport and drive them to their hotel. He thought he could leave them there for the evening, but his mother wanted to see where he lived.

"And I want to meet your friend Bob who was so kind as to lend you his car today. You said he lives in the house as well."

House didn't correct them. "Yeah, Bob lives there."

They pulled up to the old house. His parents were a little hesitant to enter, but he assured them that it was cool.

Bob heard them come in and raced down to greet them.

"Mom, Dad, this is my friend Bob."

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. House. It's nice to meet you."

Blythe and John looked at her in amazement.

"This is Bob?" his mother asked him. "I thought your friend Bob was a boy."

"You said Bob was your drinking buddy."

"She is." House said.

Bob shook her head. "I'm sorry. Your son is a bit of an ass, if you don't mind me saying so. Most people call me Robbie. My actual name is Roberta. Greg's the only one who decided I should be Bob."

"Suits you." The ass said.

She opened her mouth to say something, realized his mother was there and closed it again. She turned back to Blythe. "You can call me anything you'd like."

"Well, Roberta is a lovely name." Blythe said. "I had a friend when I was a girl named Roberta. I haven't thought about her in years, but I liked her very much. Would you mind if I called you Roberta?"

"Not at all." And suddenly, with this gracious lady speaking to her, for the first time in her life, Bob felt like Roberta.

House's graduation was much as they'd expected. He finished magna cum laude with the highest grades in every one of his classes. Of course, all of his teachers and fellow students thought he was a jerk. But since he was at the top of the class, he didn't really care.

John and Blythe took them out to dinner and, surprisingly, it went well. He had a feeling it was because Bob was there. She was a easy person to get along with and put most people at ease. Even his father.

Blythe found herself having the most enjoyable time she could ever remember having with her son. It was because her husband and son didn't snipe at each other. She knew it was because of the young woman who had joined them. She was a lovely person.

Blythe's instinct told her that Bob felt more for her son than just a drinking buddy. Unfortunately, knowing her son, she could tell that he didn't feel the same and probably never would, mostly because her weight would make her unattractive to him. She was happy that at least he had this lovely young woman as a friend.

His parents returned home just before his father started getting on his nerves, so all told, it was the most successful meeting he'd had with the man.


	9. PART 1 Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next few years flew by, despite the amount of hard work House had to do in medical school. His grades were excellent and he was able to study under Doctors Brightman and Gilmar, who were the most prestigious teachers at Johns Hopkins medical school. He would have been a model student if it wasn't for his belligerent attitude. Still, his teachers could see how intelligent he was and even though he annoyed and frustrated them, they put up with him just to watch the brilliance emerge from the young man. In his last year of medical school, he began applying for internships. His grades were such that he was first in line to be awarded the Doyle Internship at the Mayo Clinic. It was the most important internship you could do. All he had to do was to keep his marks up as they'd been and it was his. There was almost no way he could screw it up.

Almost.

Bob had Tuesdays off and had just gotten up when she heard long legs bounding up the stairs. She knew the sound of those legs. She walked up and was surprised to find House sprawled out on his bed, a joint in his hand. He had exams. She knew he had exams. He should still be at school. Or he should be studying.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I live here." He said. For the moment, he thought.

"You're supposed to be taking your exams today."

"I was."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And why aren't you still taking them?"

"I'm done."

"Done with your exams. But I thought you had three of them today."

"No, not done with exams. Just done. Done with medical school, done with Hopkins."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I was expelled."

"WHAT???? Why in the world would they expel you? You're the best student in the whole medical school."

"For cheating."

"Well, now that's bullshit. You'd never cheat. You don't need to. You're smarter than everyone in the school. We'll get this straightened out. They're obviously wrong."

"They're right.

"What?"

"They're right. I cheated."

She just stared at him, her mouth open in amazement.

"No big deal."

She exploded with anger. "Why the fuck would you do something so stupid and idiotic as that? You're the smartest guy here. You don't need to cheat."

He shrugged.

"Answer me, asshole. Why did you do it?"

He shrugged again.

"Were you nervous? Thought you didn't know the answer."

"No, I knew it."

"Who did you cheat off of?"

"Webber."

"Weasly little Philip Webber? You said he's a moron."

"He is. He didn't even get the answer right."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I don't know."

"God damn it, Greg, you had it all. Top of your class, the Doyle internship, everything. You had the brass ring right there. Why would you throw it away?

He just lay there.

"Well, you were done anyway. At least you have the internship."

He shook his head. "Not anymore. I lost it."

She stared at him, exasperated. She couldn't believe that he seemed so calm about this. His whole future was destroyed and he was just laying there puffing on his joint.

"Aren't you going to do anything about this?"

"What would you suggest?"

"Fight! Go to the dean, tell him it was a mistake. Get your internship back."

"MY internship is gone. Webber got it. I'm expelled. Which means my whole last year of medical school is gone too. I'm fucked."

"Greg, you need to do something!"

"What the fuck do you expect me to do?"

"Something. Anything except lay there with a joint pretending it doesn't matter."

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter. This is your life, your future."

"I just pissed away my future."

"Not necessarily. There are some things we can do. First thing is we look up every medical school in the state, in the country, hell, in the world, if we have to and we start writing letters to them.'

"What for?"

"To find you a place where you can finish medical school and do your internship."

"No one's going to want me. I cheated. I got expelled."

"You're also the smartest medical student they've seen in a long time. Your grades will carry you. You might not go somewhere as important as Hopkins, but you'll be able to get in somewhere and do what you need to."

He was skeptical, but Bob wouldn't be deterred. She went to the library and made lists of medical schools and started typing letters for him.

He signed them. That was the extent of his involvement. He thought it was a waste of time.

"No one's going to accept me." He told her.

Until some schools did.

His grades were impressive enough that many of the less prestigious schools were happy to have him. Most wanted him to repeat his last year or semester of medical school first. He didn't like that idea, but knew that he might have to bite the bullet if he wanted to get an internship. He was prepared to do it if he had to.

However, one of them didn't.


	10. PART 1 Chapter 9

Chapter 9

He showed her the letter, the first glimmer of excitement in his voice since he'd been expelled.

"The University of Michigan." He told her. "Not that I really want to go to Michigan, but if I go to summer classes and take the exams, I can start my internship there in the fall. That's the best deal anyone's offered me."

"It's terrific, Greg. You won't even lose any time."

Of course it meant that he would be over five hundred miles away from her. But that would have happened if he'd gone to the Mayo clinic.

He accepted the offer from Michigan and then went into a flurry of activity including getting his transcripts sent to the college and packing all of his belongings.

He decided to buy a car. He had saved enough money for one some time ago, but hadn't bothered to buy one since he could use Bob's. Now he knew he would need one.

He packed up all of his belongings in the used car and within days, he was ready to leave. He and Bob went out the night before he left to spend one last evening together.

They ate dinner in their favorite place, dining on Buffalo wings and quarter pound hamburgers with lots of beer to wash it down.

But Bob found she didn't have much of an appetite.

To be without her best friend and the man she had also fallen in love with, was hurting her more than she had anticipated.

He noticed that she was not eating.

"Something wrong with your burger?"

"No, it's fine."

"What's up, Bob?"

She looked up at him. "We're never going to see each other again, are we?"

"Of course we'll see each other."

"No, you're going to be in Michigan, working hard at your internship, then your residency. I'll be here in Baltimore or some other city. When will we see each other?"

"I don't know, sometime."

"You're the first real friend that I've ever had. I don't want to lose you. I refuse to lose you."

"Okay."

"So, here's the deal: Even if we don't get the chance to see each other again, we have to keep in contact. I know you don't like to write letters, but I want, no, I demand one really long letter each year. I don't care when you write it, just write it. I also want a birthday card. I will send you at least one letter, maybe more. I will send you a birthday card and on April 1, one of us will call the other one. We can take turns."

"Do you really think…"

"Yes, I do. Because that way, even if we can't be together, we can still be friends for the rest of our lives. Won't that be a good thing? Someone who really understands you, really cares about you that you can talk to whenever you need to?"

He watched her face and saw how serious she was about this. "Okay, I guess we can try to do this."

"Try not. Do."

He laughed. "Okay, Yoda."

"So you'll write me one letter and send me a birthday card?"

"Sure."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Okay. Good." He appetite was returning, so she picked up her burger. "Let's finish dinner so that we can go get drunk."

The next morning, House stood beside the car he had bought. All of his things were packed in the car and even though he was a little, no, make that a lot hung over, he put on sunglasses and was ready to go.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive? Maybe you should wait until you're not hung over." Bob said.

"I'm hung over, I'm not drunk." He said, taking off his shades to look at her and putting them right back on again when the sun hit his eyes. "Besides, I need to be there by Monday and I'd like a day before I start to get settled in. I have to leave now."

"I could drive with you and take a plane back."

"You can't afford a plane ticket. And anyway you have to work."

"But…"

"Stop it. I'm fine, Mom. You have to let your little boy go."

She smiled at him. She was mothering him a bit. She knew it, but she was just so worried about him. And she hated to say goodbye.

"I'm really going to miss you, you know." She told him.

"I know." He said quietly. "I'm gonna miss you too."

She nodded. He opened the door and started to get in, when she called out, "Stop."

He looked at her and she said, "Can I be a girl for a minute?"

"I think you're a girl all the time."

"I mean can I act like one?"

He shrugged and she went to him and put her arms around him and her head on his shoulder. "Be careful. Don't get into too much trouble. Don't talk back to the doctors and go forth and become the best damn doctor in the world."

He squeezed her arms and smiled. "I'll try. No promises."

She let him go and he got into the car. He started the car and, with a wave of his hand, drove off. She wondered if she would ever see him again.

END OF PART 1

**Author's Note: I hope everyone is enjoying this story. This is the end of their college days together. Next we will see their years apart. Stay tuned. And don't forget to give some love to the writer!**


	11. PART 2 Chapter 1A

**PART 2**

**Chapter 1 – Part 1**

**1985**

Dear Greg,

Well, I've been waiting for you to write to me, but of course you haven't. You're such an asshole. Anyway, I'm working a lot between the museum and my PhD work…yeah, how about that? I'm going for my doctorate. The museum said that if I worked full time, they would pay for my studies.

And once I have it, there's a job waiting for me. And not as a tour guide.

So we'll both be doctors! I know you medical ones think PhD's are lame, but I'm working for this, so don't give me any shit.

Write to me, idiot and tell me what's going on up there. Tell me about the hot chicks that you're banging. And tell me about being an intern.

WRITE TO ME!

Bob

**1986**

Bob,

Okay, okay, tired of your nagging. Women really know how to nag even if it's on paper.

Being an intern is hell. I never have time to sleep or do anything other than work at the hospital. The doctors treat us like idiots and the residents treat us like shit. The nurses all but ignore us. We're just a step above the orderlies – actually I think they like them better, 'cause they clean up shit. We just work twelve-hour days and collapse in a coma when we're done.

I love it.

As for the hot babes, there isn't too much time for that. But you know me, I always manage. There's a med student named Lisa with a hot body that keeps hanging around. I'm about ready to dip my wick into that pot.

See ya.

Greg

**1987**

Greg,

I just had a job offer from the Smithsonian. They want me to do a job that involves travel. A lot of travel. But it's a really fascinating job, so I am considering it. I would be going to other museums and archeological sites, etc. to find pieces for the Institution (please don't call it institute!).

Imagine the person who never wanted to be more than a tour guide and I may travel looking for interesting pieces for the museum.

But I may as well. With Dad gone, there's not much reason to go home. Uncle George and my cousins always ask me, but it's just not the same.

And with you up there giving them hell in Ann Arbor, well, there isn't even anyone to get drunk with.

So why not see the world on the Smithsonian's dime?

So if I take it, I'll let you know how to write to me, since I'll be on the road almost constantly.

Always,

Bob

**1988**

Bob,

Your new job sounds cool. And a great career for you. I'm glad you took it. I always knew you could do more than just be a tour guide.

Just be sure to let me know how to get in touch with you.

I'm still working my ass off here. This residency seems harder than the internship was. But at least I'm actually doing some real doctoring. Pretty cool.

Greg

**1989**

Dear Greg,

I'm so proud of you for finishing your residencies! So now you're a real doctor and can take care of patients and everything. Are you treating them any nicer? Never mind, of course you aren't!

You'd better be sitting down when you read this: I just got married! I know, someone actually wanted the fat girl! His name is Matt and he's really nice. Well, of course, I'm going to say that! Could you see me saying "I married a real son of a bitch?" Well, maybe if I married you. HAHAHA

But seriously, he's great. And he's happy with the way I look. Isn't that cool?

You ought to stop banging everything with a vagina and find one to make it permanent with. Now that you finished your residency, you need to settle down. Big shot doctors need wives.

I'm married! Isn't it great?

Always,

Bob

**1990**

Congrats, buddy!

So you went and got married? Wow, never thought that would happen. I mean, I knew you'd find someone if you wanted to. Just never thought you'd want to. Well, I knew you would want to, it's just…never mind.

Better you than me.

I hope he's good enough for you. Let me know if you need me to kick his ass. (Just kidding!)

Greg

**1991**

Dear Greg,

I think you may be right about marriage. It's certainly not what I thought it would be. For one thing, he wants me to quit my job to stay home with him. I don't want to.

And I am beginning to question why he married me in the first place because I don't think he really loves me as much as he said he did. And I think he's also cheating on me.

Oh, well, the fat girl always finds a way to smile.

Talk to you soon.

Always,

Bob

Bob,

Didn't have much time to answer your last letter. I thought once I wasn't a resident anymore, things would be easier. But the older doctors here are sadistic and they seem to think the new doctors are their personal slaves. I will never be like that with younger doctors.

I'm sorry about your marriage, buddy. I know you thought this guy was it. But to treat you like that? Cheating on you sucks. He's got to be a loser and you're better off without him.

Okay, that's pretty lame. But it's true. Don't sweat it. There's nothing wrong with going it alone. Take it from me.

Later,

Greg

**1992**

Greg,

Glad to hear that you're leaving Michigan. You really need to find new places to succeed in. The East Coast will be better for you. You're not exactly a Midwest kind of guy.

By the way, the divorce is final. Good that ordeal is over. I'm still here, still kicking.

Always,

Bob

**1993**

Bob,

I got a job in Boston, so I'm enclosing my new address for you. Kind of exciting to be actually working and making real money. Wish you were around to go drinking with me to celebrate. But it's still good.

Glad the divorce is behind you. Go forth and find new guys to screw. Ones that aren't losers.

Greg

**1994**

Greg,

I was a little confused with your last letter. I had barely put your Boston address in my book, and you aren't there anymore. Of course, changing jobs already isn't the wisest thing, but perhaps the New York/New Jersey area will be better for you. Try to hold onto a job for longer than a few months, asshole!

Working on lots of changes in my world too, some to do with attitude. And I'm not in any hurry to hook up again.

Good luck with the doctoring!

Always,

Bob


	12. PART 2 Chapter 1B

**Chapter 1 – part 2**

**1995**

Bob,

You'd better be sitting down when you read this. Are you sitting? I am now living with someone – a woman. No, she's not deranged. She actually looks like a normal person.

Her name is Stacy. She's a lawyer, brunette, nice body, very smart. I don't know why, but she's different. I asked her to move in after knowing her for two weeks.

You've been nagging me to settle down. Well, it's finally happened. So rejoice for me.

Oh, and I made a new friend a few months ago at a medical convention. His name is Wilson and he's an oncologist, just out of medical school. Had a rather interesting meeting at bar after he smashed a bottle into a stained glass window.

Greg

**1996**

Greg,

Wow, you with a real woman? It's amazing. Are you absolutely sure she's not a blow-up doll? I noticed how you listed nice body before smart. Hmmm. Of course, I need to question exactly how smart she is. Please note who she is living with. And she chose this too? You didn't force her at gunpoint?

Seriously, Greg, I am really happy for you. This is exactly what I always wanted for you – to not be afraid to give your love to someone. This is truly wonderful.

Amazing how you met Wilson. He sounds like an interesting guy. Are you serious about the bottle and the window? Well, if he's your new drinking buddy, guess you don't need me anymore! But a deal is a deal, so these letters better continue.

Always,

Bob

**1997**

Bob,

Are you still traveling the world? Or does the Smithsonian ever let you stay stateside? I'm going to be in Washington next month for a conference. Thought if you were going to be around, we could meet for dinner and a few cold ones. That is, if the international traveler still drinks beer.

And even though I'm hanging out with Wilson, you are still my bud. So I'm not letting you out of the deal either.

Stacy says hi.

Greg

**1998**

Greg,

Sorry I couldn't meet you last year. I was in Japan. I really don't get to DC that much. Mostly send my finds back and get my instructions for the next trip.

And don't think I didn't know that the last birthday card was sent by Stacy. That isn't the deal, jerk. You need to buy it, sign it, mail it. Got it?

Always,

Bob

**1999**

Bob,

I haven't done it yet, but I think I'm going to propose to Stacy. I'm telling you first, because once she says yes and we set a date, I'm gonna want you to be here for the wedding. So start thinking about how you can schedule your time to be stateside some time next year.

Greg

**2000**

Greg,

I don't really know what to say to you. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there when you were in the hospital. I was in Africa and out of range of most communication. Once I got the message, it was three weeks later and you were home. I'm sure Stacy told you that I called. She said you really weren't talking to anyone.

I know you probably feel that you're less of a person because of what happened to your leg, but don't be an idiot. You have always been 150% more of a person than anyone else I know. So you'd have to lose a lot more than a little thigh muscle to be any less.

I'd like to come and see you when I'm next stateside. Let me know when you'd like me to come.

Keep it real, buddy.

Always,

Bob

**2001**

Bob,

Don't bother coming to see me. I'm not very good company these days. I push away everyone that comes near me. Wilson is losing all his patience and we both know he has a lot.

And Stacy has none left at all. At least for me. She's gone. Don't blame her. No one would want to live with me.

Okay, that just sounded pathetic and knowing you that will make you run to see me. Don't. I mean it. This is not a good time for any of that.

Greg

**2002**

Greg,

Glad to hear that you got a new job. Princeton Plainsboro sounds like a good place for you. So that hot little brunette from Michigan ended up giving you a job? Good for you, turning a one night stand into a career opportunity. Only you.

I'm sorry you didn't want to see me last year after Stacy left. I was going to bulldoze myself into your apartment, but thought you might have me arrested. But at least you know that I will never listen to anything you tell me to do.

Good luck with the new job. Keep your mouth shut and hold onto to this one.

Always,

Bob

**2003**

Bob,

So now Wilson is working here at PPTH too. There was an opening for head of Oncology and the doctors already here weren't experienced enough. I told him to apply and apparently he was able to convince Cuddy to hire him. His office is right next door to mine. I predict good times ahead.

I also hired my first fellow to work under me. Tall, blond Australian. I don't know how good he'll be, but he seems reasonably smart. His father is a big doctor in Oz and called to ask me to hire him. Cuddy's been on me to start this fellowship, so I thought, what the hell? Get her off my back for a bit.

Later,

Greg

**2004**

Greg,

I'm happy to hear that your new team seems to be working out okay. Dr. Cameron seems a little idealistic for you. Don't be too rough on her. And Foreman sounds smart. I can understand you needing a neurologist – someone to examine that hard head of yours, ha! Now settle down and do your job.

Don't sweat this Vogler character. Do your job, don't antagonize him and you'll be fine. Wait, this is you I'm talking to. Never mind. Just try to keep out of his radar and…

Oh, well, good luck. Let me know when you're fired.

Always,

Bob

**2005**

Bob,

I made short work of Vogler, no sweat, and still have my job.

You won't believe this: Stacy's back. She came to the hospital because her husband was sick. That's right, her husband. She went and got married. Doesn't seem to have changed how she feels about me though.

Don't say it. Wilson has already given me the lecture. I won't do anything stupid.

I know, I know, but I won't.

Greg

**2006**

Greg,

Here I am apologizing again for not being there when something happens to you. My heart almost stopped when I found out about the shooting. But apparently you're doing much better. No pain at all, huh? I can't tell you how happy I am about that.

You've had quite a year. I am sorry things didn't work out with Stacy. But you had to know it wouldn't. She's married after all. Would you really want a woman who would desert her crippled husband? You didn't speak too kindly of her when she left you, even though that was mostly your fault.

And you ran into Crandall, huh? Guess he's still as gullible as he was back then. But as long as he's happy, that's good. Glad you saw him again anyway.

Hopefully going to get to the states sometime in the next few months. I need to be in New York, so it wouldn't be a stretch for me to head down to Princeton.

Always,

Bob

**2007**

Bob,

Hey, I almost sent you this letter from jail. It was a bogus charge from an asshole cop, but it was a little tense there for a while. Did spend a night or two in the clink, but I survived. Anyway, I'm free as a bird again.

The other big news here is that my fellows are gone. The little birdies have flown the nest. Foreman quit, I fired Chase and then Cameron decided to quit too. So, I'm alone again. Feels great.

Of course, the Wicked Witch of the West (otherwise known as Cuddy) has forced me to hire new ones. So I am hatching an evil plan to do that. She won't be happy, but I will!

Greg

**2008**

Greg,

I laughed out loud at your description of the games you played to hire a team. I can't believe you did it that way, but it was great. And it sounds like you got some good new people working for you now. I want to meet Kutner. He sounds like our kind of people.

Seriously though, sorry to hear about Wilson's girlfriend. I know that you weren't happy that they were together, but it still had to be hard for him. Give him some time to process all of this; he'll come back to being your friend.

Always,

Bob

Bob,

Well, Wilson's back. I always knew he couldn't stay away for long. Who can bear to be without me?

And Cuddy is adopting a baby. Can you believe that? I'm not sure why it bothers me, but it just does.

Greg

PS My dad died.

**2009**

Greg,

I'm sorry to hear about your father. I know that you didn't get along as well as your belief that he wasn't really your father, but it had to affect you in some way. I just remember when my dad died. Okay, okay, I know you've said your relationship wasn't as close as ours, but still…

Leave Dr. Cuddy alone. This is obviously something she really wants. You're not a woman and you can't understand how a woman would feel about that.

But the biggest shock is Dr. Kutner. That is just too tragic –a promising young man takes his own life. Don't let it get to you – even though I know it will. There was probably nothing you could do to prevent it.

Always,

Bob

Bob,

Sorry I didn't write for a while. I didn't feel much like communicating with anyone. I've spent the last few months in a psychiatric hospital to deal with my Vicodin use. There was a lot of stuff going on, but I'll tell you about that later.

I'm still battling the demons, but I'm getting better all the time.

Hope you do get a chance to come to Princeton. It would really be great to see you again.

Take care,

Greg


	13. PART 2 Chapter 2

**Glad everyone liked the letter format. Sorry this is short, but it ties everything up and gets ready for their reunion. I'm leaving the events of Mayfield to the show's writers. So we'll just assume that he went there and he's out and move on from there.**

**PART 2 Chapter 2**

Bob was tired of traveling. She had worked at the museum in Baltimore for a few years after getting her PhD, then the Smithsonian had offered her the job which involved procuring pieces for them all around the world. She had literally been everywhere and hadn't had a permanent address in over twenty years. Anything she wanted to keep, she stored at her uncle's house. But George Janorski was getting near eighty and was thinking of selling the old house and moving in with one of his sons.

She knew she had to make a decision for the rest of her life, but wasn't sure what it would be.

And then she'd gotten a phone call.

"Is this Dr. Janorski?" the male voice asked.

"Yes, it is."

"This is Morris Handleman. You may not remember me, we met last year at the Ancient Art Symposium in Chicago?"

In her mind's eye, she saw the gray-haired man with the thick glasses who had discussed ancient art with her for an entire evening. It had been a fascinating discussion and she'd quite enjoyed it. "From Princeton University? Of course I remember you, ."

"Well, then, perhaps you'll remember that I told you one of the teachers in my department might be retiring?"

She remembered that he was the head of the Art History department at the university and he had mentioned the possible retirement."

"Yes, I do remember."

"Good. Because I'm calling to see if you would consider a teaching position."

"I've never taught, Dr. Handleman."

"I know, I know. But what you've seen and done over the last, what is it, twenty years, would be invaluable to our students. I'm also considering a summer study tour and you would be perfect to teach that as well."

"I don't know what to say."

"Why don't you come to Princeton – at our expense, of course. I can show you around and we can discuss it. It may not be as exciting as traveling around the world, but Princeton is a very nice place."

"Actually, I have a very close friend who lives there."

"Well, then, it would be perfect for you!"

She agreed to meet with him.

She had never considered teaching before, but then she thought, why not? It wouldn't cost her anything to talk to the man and it might be a good opportunity to see Greg again after all of these years.

His last letter had upset and worried her. She really needed to see him in person and find out how he was doing.

She dialed his number on her cell phone. She heard his distracted voice say, "Greg House."

She answered with, "Hello, asshole."

**How many of you realize this was the first line of the prologue?**


	14. PART 3 Chapter 1

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has let me know that they are enjoying this story. Get ready for the big reunion!**

Part 3

Chapter 1

House walked into the bar and looked around. It wasn't a large place, but big enough to have a twenty foot long bar with several people sitting around it. He glanced at the patrons, trying to find Bob.

Of course, his eyes instinctively landed on the sexy woman sitting alone. Her back was to him, but she was sitting with her legs sideways. She had dark auburn hair, cut stylishly short in gentle waves. The legs that he could see were shapely, with sheer black stockings and low-heeled pumps.

He sighed and moved his gaze around to find his friend. The other people at the bar were male and the tables surrounding held couples. He assumed Bob hadn't arrived yet, so he went to the bar and ordered a beer.

He felt eyes on him and turned to see the sexy woman staring at him.

Okay, he thought, Babe hitting on me. He smiled at her, but the look on her face was not flirtatious, it was amused.

That confused him, so he moved closer to her and said, "Hi."

She smirked, which confused him further, until she finally spoke.

"You asshole!"

Shock filled him and his eyes went wide. "Bob?"

She smiled at him. "Hey Greg."

Stunned, he almost lost his balance before hitting a bar stool and plopping his bottom on it.

"Bob?" he said again.

"Boy, I see that your command of the language hasn't improved. Can't you say anything except Bob, jerk?"

He smiled then. This might be a beautiful woman in front of him, but it was still his friend.

She had seen him come in and had known him immediately. There may have been over twenty years since the last time she'd seen him, but she would always know him. Those blue eyes didn't change, except for the shadow of pain in them.

Of course, there was the cane. That was different. She didn't like seeing that, but she knew that if he saw pity in her eyes, he would be upset. She just remembered him sprinting up to his third floor room in Baltimore and it broke her heart.

The beard was new to her, but she didn't mind that at all. She thought about the young man she'd known. He'd been cute, like a little boy. But now, he was a very sexy man.

And she felt her heart start to pound.

"Where'd the rest of you go?" he asked her.

"Gone with the wind."

"And where'd you get the tits?" he said, staring at them.

"Turns out, they were hidden under the fat! Who knew?"

"Wow."

"You can stop staring at them now, dickhead."

"Hey, it's not often I have a buddy with great knockers and a killer body. So this was under the Bob I knew in college?"

"Yep."

"Well, if I'd known that, I would have banged you back then."

"Too late. You had your chance."

"Damn."

They both laughed and started catching up on old times.

"So when did you lose the weight?"

"Well, I reached my goal about ten years ago, but started working on it a few years before that."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"When I started, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it, so I didn't tell anyone. I would have told you when I finished, but…" she hesitated.

"But what?"

"Your leg had just happened." She said quietly. "I didn't feel right bragging about how healthy I was, when you weren't."

"I still would have been happy for you."

"I know you would have. And I can see you're happy now."

"Oh, yeah. I didn't know my drinking buddy was a hot chick."

"Gee, thanks."

He took a long sip of his drink and studied her. "What made you decide to do it? To lose the weight?"

"Lots of things."

"Your divorce?"

She inclined her head. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't part of it. He thought by marrying the fat girl, I'd be so grateful that someone married me that he could do whatever he wanted. I didn't let him get away with that crap, but it made me think. People always treated me a bit like I wasn't as good, wasn't as smart because of my weight. I was tired of that bullshit."

She took a sip of her drink before continuing. "But I didn't do it to please other people. That would be stupid. The main reason was my health. You see, back in 1998, I, uh, had a miscarriage."

His blue eyes went wide. "You never told me that either."

"I never told anyone. I wasn't pregnant long enough to tell people about it, so it made it easier not to have to tell anyone about losing it. I didn't have to deal with anyone's pity."

He nodded. He understood that pitying look on people's faces. You do whatever you can to avoid it. Unless **he** wanted to use his disability to his advantage.

"Well, afterward, the doctor told me that it was just as well. The chances of my heart surviving a pregnancy and birth were very low. My heart was just not strong enough. In fact, I had my tubes tied right then. But since that was how my mother died, I started to get scared. Even if I didn't have a baby, I didn't want to die.

"And there was a very real possibility I would have. So I researched the different weight loss plans and decided on Weight Watchers. They're world wide, so I was able to find meetings wherever I was living. Best thing, though, you can eat anything as long as you plan and account for it. It took a while, but I did it."

"How much did you lose?"

"One hundred and three pounds. And kept it off for ten years so far." She rapped lightly on the bar, a 'knock on wood' gesture.

"Well, you look fabulous."

"Thanks. You're looking pretty sexy yourself these days."

He smiled at her. "I've always been sexy."

"No, not really. You were a cute young man with those blue eyes and all. But now you have an appeal that definitely wasn't there before. Damn men get sexier when they get older, while women just get older."

He chuckled. "That's life, buddy."

"Life sucks."

"You just figured that out? But I don't think you have anything to worry about right now."

"Okay, stop staring at my tits. You're creeping me out."

"You? What about me? My old drinking buddy has tits. Great tits." He leaned over to check out her rear on the barstool. "And a great ass, too."

"It takes one to know one."

He laughed again. Same old Bob. The body might look different, but the personality and the sass was the same.

"So what are you doing in Princeton? More artifacts for the Smithsonian?"

"No. Actually, I'm here for a job interview."

He gave her a quizzical look.

"I'm getting tired of the traveling. I want a place of my own and I don't want to move every few months. I met the dean of the Art History department last year at a convention where I was speaking and he told me one of the faculty was retiring. He contacted me a few weeks ago and wanted me to come and interview."

"So you would be…"

"Teaching."

"You never wanted to be a teacher."

"Not back then I didn't. But I've worked with college students on some of the archeological digs I've had to be at and it's pretty cool to share what you know with them."

"So how did the interview go?"

"Very well. He offered me the job."

"Are you taking it?"

"I have to let him know."

He gave her an odd look. "Do you want to take it?"

She sighed. "I've been thinking about it since I left his office two hours ago. I think I do."

"Then what's the problem?"

She hesitated. "Would you be okay with it? With me living here in Princeton?"

"Why in hell wouldn't I be?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you don't want to hang out with your old college pal anymore. You've grown, moved on."

"I've haven't grown that much. Just ask Wilson."

"And that's another thing. What will Wilson think of me moving in on your friendship?"

"He'll think there's someone else for me to sponge off of, so that takes some of the pressure off him."

She smiled. "Seriously, Greg."

"He'll be fine. In fact, why don't I bring him along for dinner tomorrow night – you will be here tomorrow night, right?"

"Yes, I don't leave until the day after."

"Good. You two can meet and you'll see. In the meantime, if you really want to be a teacher, tell that guy yes tomorrow."

"Okay, I think I will."

She picked up her glass and held it up. He did the same and they clinked glasses.


	15. PART 3 Chapter 2

Part 3

Chapter 2

Wilson was a little wary of meeting House's old friend Bob. Apparently this guy knew him since college.

He had to admit to himself that he was a little jealous. He liked to think that he was House's oldest and best friend. Of course he had heard about Bob from time to time, but had almost begun to think the guy was an urban legend.

And he never thought he would move to Princeton.

Still, if he was moving here, he had better get to know him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. After all, someone else to take the brunt of House's insecurity might not be a bad thing.

House and Wilson drove to the restaurant and were waiting at their table for Bob's arrival. Wilson was trying to pump House for information about his college buddy, but House was revealing nothing.

"You haven't told me much over the years, only that he was your drinking buddy. Just tell me something about the guy so that I can have some conversation with him. All I know is that you went to Hopkins together and were roommates."

"Not exactly roommates. We lived in a big old house, but each of us had our own room."

"Okay, and you lived there all through college and med school?"

"Yep. Until I transferred to Michigan."

"Right, after cheating." House glared at him. "And you've kept in touch over the years."

"Yep." House took a drink and looked at the restaurant entrance. "Oh, I see Bob now."

Wilson turned and looked toward the door. There was no one there except for a very attractive, auburn haired woman.

"Where?" he asked.

"Right there." House said.

The woman was walking towards them, but Wilson couldn't see anyone that looked like he could be Bob. He was about to say the same to House, when the woman reached their table, pulled out a chair and sat down.

He was confused as he heard her say, "Sorry, Greg, got caught up checking real estate ads and lost track of time. Were you waiting long?"

She turned to smile at Wilson whose mouth was hanging open.

"Hi, you must be Dr. Wilson?"

House interrupted. "Wilson, Bob. Bob, Wilson."

Wilson's mouth was still open and he was unable to speak.

"Did you do this again? Did you make him think I was a guy?" Bob asked him.

House just smiled.

"But, but…" Wilson sputtered. "You're a woman!"

"I told you he was smart. Did you see how he figured that out right away?." House quipped.

"But you're Bob! How can you be Bob?"

She looked at House and shook her head. "My name is Roberta. My family always called me Robbie. Greg is the only one in the world to call me Bob."

"And what do you call him?"

"Dumbass, mostly. Sometimes asshole or dickhead.."

Wilson laughed. "Still, why call you Bob? And why make me think you were a man?"

"In college, I sort of looked like a man. I was, uh,…"

"She was fat." House put in.

The other two both glared at him. "What?" he asked. "You were fat. I'm not lying. You're not now and that's great for you and everyone who has to look at you."

Wilson just shook his head, then asked, "Why did you make me think 'Bob' was a guy?"

"I never said Bob was a guy." House told him.

"You never said she was a woman." Wilson said.

"You never asked." House shot back.

"What would make me think that someone named 'Bob' who you claimed you went to ball games with and got drunk with would be a woman."

"I did go to games with her and got drunk with her. It's your sexist belief that a woman can't be a drinking buddy. Why must I always be the most accepting person here?" House asked.

Bob was laughing. "Guys, that's enough. Dr. Wilson, this isn't the first time Greg's done this. Made people believe I was a man. But to tell the truth, when we met, I was more of a boy than a girl. I was raised in an all male household and really didn't look or act even remotely female. Greg made a woman out of me."

Wilson almost choked. "Oh, I didn't realize…"

"Not like that!" House admonished him, while Bob giggled.

"Actually, he helped me make the choice to dress and act more feminine. And he also helped me not to be afraid to go further in my career than I originally wanted. He did a lot for me."

"Just call me Mother Teresa." House said.

"No one would ever call you Mother Teresa, jerk." Bob told him. "But in case he never told you, he never would have finished his medical studies if it hadn't been for me."

"Really?" Wilson asked. She told him about what she did after House was caught cheating and how she helped him apply to other schools.

"No, he never told me that."

House shrugged. "I would have figured it out. She wanted something to do, so I let her."

Bob rolled her eyes and Wilson chuckled.

They continued to chat easily.

"So, Dr. Wilson," Bob began, "You're an oncologist. I've always wondered how someone can do that. To face so much death."

"First of all, it's Wilson or James. I won't say it's easy. But with the advances today, there are a lot of people you can save. Of course, there are still a lot that you can't, but you do what you can."

"Still, I don't think I could do it."

"And you worked for the Smithsonian. That's fascinating, Bo—I'm sorry, I'm just not comfortable calling you Bob. You don't look at all like a Bob."

"Then call me Robbie or Roberta."

"Roberta?" House sneered. "Who calls you that?"

"The people I work with. Roberta is more professional than Robbie, so I use it for work."

"Would you mind if I called you Roberta, then?" Wilson asked her.

"Not at all, James."

House joined in then. "Is the tea party over yet? James and Roberta! Give me a break."

They laughed at him and continued to talk about their jobs, House and Bob's shared past, House and Wilson's shared past and anything else they could think of.

By the end of the evening, Wilson was no longer feeling jealous of Bob. He was, instead, feeling a great deal of interest.


	16. PART 3 Chapter 3

Part 3

Chapter 3

Bob was to begin her new job at the start of the fall semester. She immediately gave notice at the Smithsonian and moved to Princeton. She went to Korman Suites (which she often used while doing her work for the Smithsonian) and rented a suite until she could find a permanent home.

She decided to buy a house. She could afford it and she really wanted the permanence of a house. She had already started checking real estate ads as soon as she decided to take the job at Princeton, so that by the time she got there, she had a list of homes she wanted to see.

It didn't take her long before she found a lovely little Victorian cottage in a nice neighborhood. She had the money, so she made a quick deal and arranged to make settlement before the semester began. In the meantime, she started sending for the items she had purchased during her years traveling and stored them in a storage unit.

She also shopped for the furniture she needed and arranged to have everything delivered when she moved in.

She bought a car, the first she'd owned since her days in Baltimore. With all her traveling, it was always easier to rent or use taxis wherever she went.

Once all of that was done, she was able to relax and spend the rest of the summer preparing for her classes and hanging out with House and Wilson.

They drove down to Philadelphia to watch the Phillies play. They drove to Atlantic City and stayed up all night drinking and gambling. They took the train to New York to hear some jazz musicians play.

Like the Three Musketeers, they spent almost all of their free time together and all of them enjoyed it.

When it was time to move into her new house, her two companions came by to help. Since she had bought almost all of the furniture new, the only things she needed to move was the personal items she had in the storage unit. They consisted mostly of paintings and art pieces that she had found over the years and that weren't right for the Smithsonian, but that she had fallen in love with.

With the simple furniture she had selected, the pieces worked perfectly in her new home.

House checked the place out, from the Victorian colors and trim on the outside to the quaint art pieces inside.

"Kinda girlie." He told her.

"I am a girl."

"Since when?"

"Since, oh, I don't know, birth?"

"Not enough room for a big screen TV."

"I don't want a big screen TV."

House looked shocked. "What other reason is there to buy a house other than to have room for a big screen TV?"

"Maybe to have some permanence and security in your life?"

He realized how important that was to her after the years she'd spent traveling. So he shut up and helped with the move. That is, he sat on the first chair that was delivered with a cold beer in his hand and directed everyone as to how things should be arranged.

Bob ignored him and put things where she wanted. She also handed him curtain rods to thread through curtains while he sat there. He grumbled, but did the job – eventually.

Finally, she was totally moved in and happy with her new home. She ordered pizza for the three of them and they watched a movie on her not-so-big flat screen TV.

House was curious about her money.

"What's your mortgage like? This is a pricey area."

"Not too bad. I had a pretty good down payment." She said evasively.

"How much?"

"None of your business."

Wilson shook his head. "House, you shouldn't ask her that. Her finances are her business."

House ignored him. "But you had enough money for a down payment and to buy all this furniture?"

"Greg, I lived on an expense account for the last twenty years. I never paid my own rent or meals unless I was on vacation. I ended up saving almost all of my salary and invested lots of it too."

"So you're rolling in dough now?"

"Like I'm going to tell you! You'll just start sponging off of me like you did in college."

"I didn't do that!"

"No? You didn't buy a car until you went to Michigan. You just used mine and let me buy the gas."

"Well, it was YOUR car. Seemed only fair."

Wilson chimed in. "What about that guy that came to the hospital with his daughter that you knew in college? You used his car too."

Bob laughed. "Oh, right, Crandall! God, I could never understand how Greg could hang around with him."

"He had a car." House mumbled. "And you were working."

Wilson started laughing. "Right, and that's why you had sex with his girlfriend."

House glared at him.

"Oh, my God!" Bob yelled. "I always suspected that's what happened. Asshole here was so vague about it, I figured it was something like that."

"I did not have sex with her."

Wilson gave him an odd look."

"Not according to Bill Clinton I didn't." House pouted.

Bob gaped at him, then shook her head. "God, you are such a disgusting jerk."

"How have you stayed friends with him all this time?" Wilson asked her.

"Beats me. Guess I just felt sorry for him." She laughed. "What's your story?"

"I'm a masochist." Wilson said.

"Well, in that case…" House said, rising and as he walked past Wilson, banged him on the shin with his cane and continued to the kitchen to get a beer.

"OW!" Wilson cried.

"Greg, stop being a dickhead." Bob called out to him. "And bring beers for us too."

The semester began soon after and Bob started teaching for the first time. It was harder than she'd anticipated, but also more exciting than she'd thought. Having her best friend around helped her.


	17. PART 3 Chapter 4

Chapter 4

In between the times the three of them spent together, House would wander over to her place just to hang out or invite her to his for pizza and beer. While she usually went, she brought her own salad to eat with one slice of pizza.

"How can you do that?" House asked her. "I love food. I couldn't not eat it."

"I love food too. And I do eat it. Notice, I had a slice of pizza. I don't need to eat half the pie to enjoy it."

He shook his head in wonder at that. Then he got pensive and looked at her with a question in his eyes.

"What?" she asked, a forkful of salad halfway to her mouth.

"Tell me what happened with your marriage."

"What brought that up?"

"Did you lose your weight because of it?"

"I told you already, no, I didn't. Well, not entirely."

"So tell me what happened with Mitch."

"Matt."

"Whatever."

She sighed. "Remember that guy Jack in college."

"Why are you changing the subject?"

"I'm not."

House sighed. "Okay, yeah, I remember Jack the jerk. The guy you were ready to sleep with five minutes after meeting him."

She rolled her eyes. "A little exaggeration, but, okay. Well, turns out Jack's M.O. was to go to the frat parties and seek out the most unattractive girl there. He'd use his charm and almost always hit pay dirt. And sometimes when he didn't, he'd force the issue."

"Like he tried with you."

"Right. I met a girl at the museum who'd been caught up in his game. She wasn't as aware as I was – or didn't have a friend to warn her about stupid, shallow pigs."

House smiled. "And she also probably didn't know about a well-placed kick in the nuts."

She laughed. "That too. Well, anyway, Matt was a lot like that. He thought by marrying me, he'd be getting a nice, smart, sweet little, well, big, wife who would be so happy that someone wanted to marry her that she would wait on him hand and foot and let him do anything he wanted."

"Fuck that."

"Exactly. Once I realized that's what he wanted, I left. But it bothered me. Wouldn't I ever be able to find someone to love me for me? Or would the weight always be a barrier? Then when I had the miscarriage…"

"Wait, you were pregnant by your husband, right?"

She looked a little sheepish. "No."

"Then who was it?"

She shrugged. "I'm actually not really sure. Right after my divorce, I kind of went a little nuts. Slept with anyone I could for a few months. The miscarriage was a wake up call in many ways. I knew I didn't want to die and I also didn't want to be a slut. And I didn't want to be the fat girl that was never quite as good as everyone else."

"That's bullshit. You were always better than everyone else."

"You always told me so, but the rest of world wasn't so kind."

"So that's when you lost the weight?"

"That's when I decided that I needed to lose the weight, but not because the world didn't like me. Because I didn't like me. And it was in my head. That was the person I had to overcome. That was the hardest thing to do."

He nodded, but didn't say anything. His head was down, staring at the floor.

She watched him, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't, she finally said, "So how about you tell me a little about your what you went through."

"I'd rather talk about your marriage."

"Come on, Greg. You know you can talk to me."

He sighed and sat back on the sofa. He laid his head against the back and stared at the ceiling. Then, quietly, he started talking. He told her about the Vicodin and the hallucinations. He told her about going to Mayfield and how he made the journey back to sanity. When he stopped talking, she reached out and took his hand.

"I always knew you could do anything you wanted to do."

"Thing is, I didn't want to do this."

"But you did it anyway. I'm proud of you."

He nodded. "Thanks."


	18. PART 3 Chapter 5

Part 3

Chapter 5

While they were having dinner together one night, Wilson mentioned the hospital fundraiser that was coming up in two weeks.

"I'm partial to this one, because the money raised will be earmarked for the leukemia division, so I'm trying to sell as many tickets as I can."

"I'll go." Bob said. "It'll be fun."

"The tickets are $150 and then you have to buy in to the poker game."

"That's not a problem. And I love poker. We'll all have fun together."

"I'm not going." House said.

"Why not?"

"Two words: hospital fundraiser."

Bob was silent as Wilson said, ""Come on, House, you know that Cuddy's going to make you go."

"She can try. But I'll win."

Bob smiled sweetly at the men. "It's okay, James, don't bother him. I know why he doesn't want to go."

"Why?" Wilson asked.

"Yeah, why?" House repeated.

She bit her lip. "He knows I'll beat him at poker."

"HAH!" House cried. "No way. You can't beat me. Never have, never will."

She gave him a pitying look, then turned back to Wilson. "He's in denial, but he knows the truth."

House narrowed his eyes at her. "You think that you can trick me into going by PRETENDING you're better than me at poker. It won't work."

"Greg, that's fine. Don't go. I'd prefer it if you don't come. You might, uh, beat me." She giggled a bit after that as if to say, yeah, right.

House glared at her, then got up and headed to the men's room.

Wilson was amazed. "Well played. Now if he doesn't go, it'll look like he was afraid you'd beat him."

"I know." She said.

Of course, House went to the fundraiser. Wilson picked the two of them up, so they all walked in together. Cuddy approached them immediately.

"You're lucky you made it here, House. You would be doing clinic 20 hours a day if you hadn't."

House stared at the cleavage spilling out of her black cocktail dress.

"Would I miss a chance to spend an evening with the girls? No way!"

She ignored his remark, as usual, and asked, "Where's your friend Bob? You said you'd be bringing him. I want to meet this guy."

House smirked. "Right here."

Cuddy looked around House, Wilson and the lovely woman in a green satin sleeveless dress. "Where?"

"Right here! Are you blind?" House was amused.

"Oh, for God's sake, Greg, stop it. Hi, I'm Roberta Janorski, otherwise known as Bob."

Cuddy's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. "You're Bob?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Cuddy. This dumbass," she leaned her head towards House, "Does this all the time."

"You're a woman? Oh my God, I never expected…"

"I know, I know. No one does. He's an ass."

"Well, that's true." Cuddy took Bob's arm and led her away from the men. "I've always wanted to meet House's friend Bob. Ever since college. Of course, I had no idea you were a woman."

"I've always wanted to meet you too. I wondered about the woman that would not only hire Greg, but keep him employed."

She smiled. "Look, I have to schmooze the crowd right now, but could we meet for lunch or dinner? I'd love to get to know you better."

Bob had never really had any girlfriends and the idea of spending some time with another woman and sharing some girl talk was very appealing.

"That sounds really nice." They made plans to meet for dinner in a few days.

Bob then joined House and Wilson for poker.

"What were you and Cuddy talking about?" House asked her.

"Just getting to know each other."

"What would you and the She Witch have in common?"

"Oh, stop it, Greg. She seems very nice. We're going to meet for dinner next week."

House was shocked. "No, I won't allow it!"

Bob turned and gave him an odd look. "Excuse me, did you just say, YOU won't allow it? My father died a long time ago and I got rid of a husband who tried to tell me what to do. The last person who's going to order me around is you.'

She stood up and walked away from him.

Wilson snickered and House gave him a glare.

When she returned with a drink in her hand, she carefully laid out her chips and without looking at House, carefully and methodically beat the pants off of him.

He should have been mad. He should have been livid. But the truth was, he had taught her how to play poker when they were in college. She could never beat him then. But now, the student had become the master.

"How did you get so good?" he asked her on the way home.

"Practice, son, practice. Lots of lonely nights in strange cities. I developed a knack for finding the bars with poker games. I lost a lot in the beginning, but then I began to notice people's tells. And once I did, well, winning became easy. Too easy, actually. I lost interest in it after a while. But I'd still play every few months just to keep my skill level up."

"What's my tell?"

"Hah, as if I'm going to let you know it. Where's my advantage then?"

He shook his head. She continued to amaze him.

A few days later, Bob and Cuddy met for dinner at a little café near the campus. They ordered their meals, then sat at the table with glasses of wine in front of them.

"House told me about you when we were at Michigan. Of course, I thought you were a man." Cuddy said, with a laugh. "He told me all about his 'buddy' Bob, the way you two got drunk together, etc."

"Yeah, he's good at that." Bob gave her an abridged version of their relationship in college.

"He told me that you helped him get to Michigan."

Bob shrugged. "It had to be done. He would have been miserable otherwise. But, you know, I wondered about you."

"What did you wonder?"

"About a woman who would not only hire him, but keep him employed for several years."

"Pretty amazing, huh?" Cuddy smiled.

"Why would you?"

She sighed. "When I met him, he was arrogant, rude, self-centered and a general ass."

"Sounds like Greg." Bob agreed.

"He was also brilliant and fascinating."

Bob nodded. "Yep, that sounds like Greg too."

"It was …amazing to be around him. The fire was so bright, it didn't even matter if you got burned."

Bob chuckled.

"I lost track of him for a while." Cuddy continued. "But then his name began appearing in medical circles. I started following his career then. It was by coincidence that I was the attending doctor when his leg happened."

"That had to be hard."

"Harder than you can imagine. I wanted to believe House, that his leg would heal if left alone, but just like Stacy, I was scared that he would die and the world would lose all of that brilliance. If it had been me though, I wouldn't have made that decision. Still, I was almost relieved when Stacy did. Does that sound awful of me?"

"No, it sounds human. I'm glad I didn't have to make that decision. It would be impossible."

"Well, anyway, after that I got the job as Dean of Medicine, with the power to hire doctors. I knew I wanted him here, but if I went to him and begged him to work for me, I'd never have any power over him."

"So what did you do?"

"Got extremely lucky. He got fired and it was the third time in several years. No one wanted to hire him. And anyone else who would have, would never be able to handle him. He needed to not have to answer to anyone. Except me, of course. So I was able to offer him a position as a department head at the salary of a staff physician. He thought he was getting everything he wanted, I got a deal and the best doctor I'd ever met."

Bob smiled. "You're very perceptive when it comes to Greg."

"Actually, I wish I was more perceptive. I try. But I don't think I'll ever fully understand him."

Bob nodded. "Yeah, that's the thing. I don't think anyone ever will."

"Okay, we could talk about House all night, but I want to get to know you."

"Yeah, enough about him."

The rest of the meal was spent in small talk and learning about each other's lives. By the end of the meal a new friendship had formed and for the first time in her life, Bob had a girlfriend.


	19. PART 3 Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was a few days after Thanksgiving and House was just leaving his office to meet Bob and Wilson for dinner, when his cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the number and was going to ignore it, but then decided, what the hell?

"House."

"Greg?" he heard his mother's voice say.

"Mom? What's up? Where are you calling from?"

"I'm calling from the airport. I'm, um, coming to visit you."

"Oh. Uh, when?"

"Now. I'm in Newark."

"What?" he was shocked. "What are talking about?"

"I decided I wanted to see you and so I got on a plane and here I am."

"Mom, what's the matter? And where's your cell phone?"

"I'm calling from a pay phone because you avoid my calls.

God, he thought, did he need this right now? And when had she been able to outsmart him? Wait, this was his mother. She could always outsmart him.

"Greg, can you just come and get me? Or I can take a taxi if you want."

"No, I'll be there. Where are you?"

She told him the airline she'd come in on and he told her he'd call when he got close. As soon as he hung up, he dialed Bob's cell. When he told her what was going on, she offered to go with him.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"It sounds like there's something wrong. And you've never been very good at communicating with your parents. Maybe I can help."

"That's actually a pretty good idea."

He agreed to swing by the restaurant and pick her up.

While they were on their way to Newark, he wondered aloud why his mother was doing this.

"She's not a spontaneous person. She always makes plans. Even when my dad forced us to move in a week's time, she'd sit down, make a list of everything she needed to do and begin packing and making phone calls. Everything was worked out and arranged before the move. This is not like her."

"Then something must be bothering her. Remember, she's alone now too. If she has a problem, your dad isn't there for her to talk to about it. And you avoid her calls."

House just stewed about that for a bit. Bob let him. Eventually, she started to talk again.

"Where will she be staying while she's here?"

He shrugged. "A hotel, I guess."

"Greg, you can't let your widowed mother who is apparently worried about something stay alone in a hotel."

"She's an adult. She'll be fine."

She shook her head. "Greg, that's just not…"

"Besides, where would she sleep? Did you want my widowed mother to sleep on the sofa?"

"She could sleep in your bed."

"Then I'd have to sleep on the sofa. Cripple, remember?"

"Fine, then she can stay at my house. I have an extra bedroom."

"No way."

"Why not?"

"The two of you sitting around talking about me? No way."

"Greg, there's nothing she could tell me about you that I don't already know. We lived together for how many years?"

He didn't answer.

"You're being silly. What is this fear you have of me talking to anyone else in your life? You even hate that I'm friends with Lisa now."

He huffed a few times, then finally said, "Okay, if she agrees, she can stay at your house."

Just before they pulled up at the airport, House called Blythe and told her they would soon be there. She was waiting in front of the door when he pulled up. Bob jumped out to greet her. Blythe looked confused.

"Hello, Mrs. House. I don't know if you remember me. I'm Roberta, Greg's friend from college."

Blythe blinked and looked at her. Suddenly, recognition dawned. "Of course, I remember you, dear. You look wonderful! Greg, doesn't she look wonderful?"

"Yeah, she's a goddess. Come on, let's get going."

They all piled into the car and started the drive back to Princeton.

"So, Roberta, are you visiting Princeton?" Blythe asked.

"No, Mrs. House, actually I'm teaching at the university, so I moved there."

"Oh, how nice. And please call me Blythe."

"Okay…Blythe."

"And I want to thank you for your lovely letter and fruit basket. You didn't include a return address, so I couldn't send a note, but it was very sweet of you."

"I was still on the move then. But you're welcome. I was very sorry to hear about your husband."

"Wait, what's this?" House asked.

"Roberta sent me a condolence letter and basket. It was so kind."

"You never told me you sent anything to her."

"None of your business." Bob said.

"And you never told me you got something from her."

"None of your business." Blythe repeated.

House started mumbling to himself, then said to Bob in a low voice. "Your idea isn't going to work. You two can't be left alone together. Terrible things will happen."

"Shut up, Greg." Bob said, then turned to Blythe. "I don't know what you were planning, Blythe, but I was hoping you would be able to stay with me. I have a little house with an extra bedroom. And I'd love the chance for us to get to know each other better."

Blythe glanced at her son before answering. "That sounds lovely, but is it alright with you, Greg?"

House was about to speak, but Bob beat him to it. "Greg has no say in this. I want you to come and it's your decision only. Not his."

Blythe smiled. "Well, in that case, I'd love to stay with you."

"Good. This will be fun."

House continued to mumble to himself and Bob poked him.

"So, Blythe, what brings you to Princeton on such short notice?"

The older woman was silent for a bit, before saying quietly, "I think I may have cancer."


	20. PART 3 Chapter 7

Chapter 7

House almost crashed the car at her words. "What? What the fu - hell are you talking about?"

"Please, Greg." Blythe reprimanded. "Watch your language."

"Don't worry about my goddamn language. Tell me what's going on."

Bob had been watching the older woman during this exchange and she saw tears starting to pool in the corner of her eyes.

"Greg." She said softly. "Don't."

He sighed, and in a calm voice, said, "Mom, please, just tell me what happened."

With a hitch in her voice, Blythe said, "My doctor found something. On my ovary."

With thoughts of ovarian cancer running through his head, he asked her, "What did he find?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't really understand it."

"Okay, so what did the biopsy show?"

"I didn't have a biopsy."

"What? Why the hell not."

"Greg." Bob warned.

"When he told me, I got scared. I – I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to talk to you about it. But I knew you wouldn't come down there. So I just caught the first plane I could and here I am."

"Mom, you need to have that checked right away. ANY delay could cause the cancer to grow."

The tears started to come. "I know. But I just didn't want to do it alone. I wanted you to be here. To tell me what to do. You're the doctor. I don't understand any of it."

Bob could see the frustration growing in House, so she put a hand on his arm. "That's a good idea, Blythe. Greg can oversee your examination and any treatment you might need. And James is an oncologist, so you can trust him as well. And from what I've seen, Princeton-Plainsboro is a really good hospital. I mean, they haven't fired Greg yet, that has to say something about them."

Blythe smiled and a chuckle escaped her.

Bob breathed a sigh of relief that they had calmed Greg's mother down some. If she could just keep the son calm, they could get through this.

Eventually, they reached Bob's house. The women chatted as they went inside. House followed them, but once he was inside, he didn't take his coat off.

"I'm going to go home. Let you guys, uh, girls get cozy without me."

Bob stared at him. "Greg, what about…?"

"I'll talk to Wilson. Get everything set up. Mom, I'll call you and come and pick you up in the morning."

Blythe nodded. "Alright, dear."

House made a quick exit. Once he got back to his car, he dialed Wilson and quickly apprised him of the situation. After getting him to agree to see his mother in the morning, he hung up and dialed Bob's number.

"Tell my mom I'll pick her up at nine. Wilson will do the tests tomorrow."

Bob agreed and House hung up. He was going home and having a very large drink. Several of them.

Bob told Blythe what House had said and the older woman nodded. They were sitting on Bob's sofa. Bob had made Blythe a sandwich – low fat turkey and cheese with lettuce and tomato on whole wheat bread – and they were chatting easily.

But the reality of why she was here suddenly hit Blythe. "I'm afraid." She said.

"Well, that's natural." Bob replied. "The thought of cancer and possibly death would scare anyone."

"No, you don't understand. I'm not really afraid to die. I mean, I'm not suicidal or hoping to die, but if it happens, well, it happens. I'm not overly religious, but I do believe in God and in an afterlife. Unlike Greg." She added ruefully. "I truly believe that I will see John when I die, as well as other family and friends who have gone before me."

"So if you're not afraid to die, then what…" Bob asked.

Blythe sighed. "I'm afraid of dying before I see my son happy."

Bob nodded silently. "Yes, I can understand that."

"I mean, at this point I've given up expecting him to get married and give me grandchildren. He's fifty years old. But if I felt he had someone he cared about and that cared about him and that he was happy with his life, it would be so much easier."

Bob nodded again.

Blythe hesitated before continuing. "You and Greg have been friends for a long time."

"Yes, like thirty years."

"You're still only friends?"

"That's all we've ever been."

"Excuse me for asking, but I need to know. Are you still in love with him?"

Bob was shocked. "Wha-what are you talking about?"

"When I met you in Baltimore, I had the feeling that you felt more for Greg than just friendship."

Bob stood up and walked away from her. "What made you think that?"

"The way you looked at him. The way you took care of him. I know you helped him after he got expelled."

Bob was silent for a while and Blythe waited a bit before adding, "I realize it's probably none of my business…"

"Yes." Bob said. "I'm still in love with him."

"And he…"

"Has no idea. I'm his buddy. I've been his buddy for thirty years. He'll never think of me as anything else."

"You don't' know that for sure. Maybe, if he knew."

"No. If I told him how I feel, I would lose his friendship. And I can't chance that. It's too important to me."

"I understand." Blythe said, a little sadly.

"But I promise you this: I will stay his friend. No matter what stupid, asinine or mean thing he does to me, I will stay his friend. I'll try to make his life as happy as he'll let me. And I will help to take care of him."

Blythe smiled. "Well, having you as his friend is better than not having you in his life. Thank you."

The next day, House drove his mother to PPTH where Wilson, along with House's team, put her through a battery of tests. It took some time, and Bob arrived at the hospital after her classes to find Blythe waiting in a room for the last round of tests.

"Where's Greg?" She asked Blythe.

"He just left. He was getting antsy, so I sent him away."

"Did he say how much longer?"

"Not long. They're doing one more test, then I can leave. He'll get me the results later."

"Well, good. That means I can take you home soon."

They wrapped up the tests and Bob and Blythe left the hospital. Bob had told House not to try to avoid his mother that night and he reluctantly agreed.

So two hours after they were at Bob's house, he arrived. Bob had just finished making a teriyaki shrimp stir fry with brown rice. She sat him down at the table and gave him a plate. He started to talk about the tests, but Bob stopped him.

"Eat now. Medical talk later."

He was going to protest, but Bob's eyes told him to put it aside.

So they ate. And when dinner was over, they sat in the living room and House began to talk.

"There is a tumor on your ovary. But it's benign. We've scheduled you for surgery tomorrow and we'll remove it. Everything else is good. After we take that out, you should be fine."

Blythe closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Greg, that's great!" Bob said.

"Thank you, dear."

House shrugged. "Don't thank me. It wasn't my body. I just read the results. But you need to get checkups every six months and if they find anything, you need to have a biopsy done immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"No waiting, no playing around, got it?"

"Yes, I do."

Bob chimed in. "She's not stupid, Greg, she understands what you're telling her."

He looked like he wanted to say more, but the look that Bob was giving him stopped him, so he just nodded.

The next day, Blythe had her surgery. She was released form the hospital the day after and stayed with Bob for another week. She could actually have gone home earlier, but the two women were enjoying each other's company so much, Bob insisted she stay. Bob didn't remember her own mother and Blythe was a very kind substitute.

When it was finally time to put her on the plane, Bob hugged her hard and fought the tears that wanted to come.

"Please take care of yourself, Blythe. I really need you to be a part of my life."

"I will, dear, I will. And don't forget your promise." she whispered.

"I won't."

Blythe hugged her son next. "Thank you for your patience with me."

"It's okay." He said.

"Try to be happy."

He looked at her strangely, then shrugged and nodded.


	21. PART 3 Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Bob's birthday came in the beginning of December, just after Blythe left. Wilson invited Bob and House to his place for dinner. When they arrived, he served a nice white wine, some broiled tilapia and presented her with a gift. It was a lovely silk scarf in shades of aqua.

"Oh, James, it's beautiful. Thank you very much."

Wilson looked pointedly at House, who stared back at him and said, "What?"

"Don't you have a gift for your oldest friend?"

"Well, I was going to get her flowers, but the guy wasn't there."

"What guy?" Wilson asked.

"The one on the off ramp."

Wilson rolled his eyes, but Bob chuckled. "It's okay, James, Greg never bought me presents. I don't expect anything from him. But on my 21st birthday, he gave me a terrific gift."

"No I didn't." House said. "I never bought you anything."

"I just said you never bought me anything."

"So what did he give you?" Wilson asked.

"Nothing. I gave her nothing." House complained.

Ignoring him, she told Wilson the story of her and House in the restaurant and the way he pretended to be her boyfriend to impress the bitches.

"Will you stop telling these old stories?" House whined, getting uncomfortable.

Wilson laughed, but in reality he wasn't surprised. House had his own moral code and although he changed it as it suited him, he adhered to it as well.

Christmas came. Even though House told her not to, Bob found herself attending Princeton's faculty Christmas party. Despite his complaints about work parties, Bob was actually excited to attend. Not being in the same place for more than a few months, she could never really participate in Christmas parties. Oh, the museums she was working with would invite her if she was there at the time and sometimes she'd attend. But since she didn't actually work there, she was always the outsider.

This time, however, she was a part of the faculty and she was anxious to get to know the others. She had met one or two, but this would be a good chance to meet lots of them.

Then House offered to go with her, which she thought was just silly.

"You've told me over and over again how much you hate these things. You don't even like to go to your own company parties. Why would you want to come to mine?"

He tried to play it down. "You don't know anyone there."

"Well, the point is that I want to get to meet my coworkers."

"Why in the world would you want to do that?"

"Some people have this crazy idea that they'd like to know the people they work with."

He just shook his head. "Absolutely nuts."

She laughed. "Anyway, I'm going alone."

"Whatever." He mumbled.

Bob went shopping and bought a new dress in a deep topaz color that just skimmed her knees. She had some lovely emeralds she had purchased in Europe that went perfectly with it and really made her eyes shine. With the auburn rinse she used in her hair, the color was wonderful on her. Although she was pleased with her appearance, she didn't think it was anything special.

The male faculty members thought otherwise.

Heads turned as soon as she walked in. The married ones cursed their bad luck for either having wives or bringing them. The single ones maneuvered their way near her.

Being the friendly person that Bob was, she greeted everyone with equal warmth. Which, of course, only made the guys more interested. And gave Bob a good opportunity to meet a lot of her coworkers.

When the new semester began, she found herself having lunch with many of them in the faculty dining room. One guy in particular she got along with very well.

His name was Devon Miles and he worked in the Math department. He was forty-five years old, with a head full of dark brown hair and dark eyes to match. He was fascinated by her travels and although his own travel experience was limited, he was well read and interested in other countries.

Being a math professor, he had a nice logical mind that she liked. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't because it reminded her of another very logical man that she knew.

She knew that he would like to go out with her, but she was careful not to encourage him, since she really wasn't interested in dating him. Her heart still belonged to a certain blue-eyed doctor.

Bob, House and Wilson spent Christmas together. Even though House didn't care about celebrating the holiday all that much, suddenly it was fun to be part of a group of friends.

Fun. Friends. These were all new concepts to him. He thought about his mother's advice to be happy. At the psychiatric hospital, they had tried to get him to accept the good things in his life and be happy. Both Wilson and Bob admonished him to be happy. They sure seemed to be.

Could he be happy?

He didn't know, but it did turn out to be one of the best Christmases he'd ever had.

On New Year's Eve, they counted down with the announcer on TV and when the ball dropped and Times Square went crazy, they started yelling too.

Then Wilson, turned to Bob and said, "Happy New Year, Roberta."

Smiling, she replied, "Happy New Year, James."

He leaned in and kissed her. Most people kissed at midnight, but he held his lips to hers a second longer than was necessary.

House watched this exchange with narrowed eyes, then limped to her bathroom.

They ate and drank a bit more, before finally calling it a night. Wilson and House put on their coats and said their goodbyes.

They were starting down the walk, when House said, "Forgot my cane. Go warm up the car."

Wilson nodded and continued to the car, while House turned back. He knocked on the door and she opened it almost immediately.

"Forgot my cane." He said and she nodded and let him in.

He closed the door behind him, limped over to the sofa and picked up the cane. Then as he passed her, he suddenly pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard.

"Happy New Year, Bob."

Then he opened the door and left.

She stood there for a moment and touched her fingers lightly to her lips, then closed her eyes.


	22. PART 3 Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Wilson was pushing around what was left of his sandwich and, of course, House used that opportunity to snatch it up. The younger doctor didn't even blink.

House was perplexed. Even though Wilson knew House always stole his food, he still always made a comment about it or at least an exasperated huff.

"What's wrong with you?" House asked him.

"What? Oh, nothing." But he was still distracted.

"Right, nothing's wrong with you and Cuddy doesn't wear tight skirts."

Wilson continued to look at his plate when he said, "Actually, I want to ask you something and I don't know how to say it."

House raised his voice. "No, I will not sleep with you. I told you, I don't bat for THAT team!"

"House." Wilson said, with a shake of his head. "It's about…Roberta."

"Roberta? Oh, Bob. What about her?"

"You've said that the two of you are just friends, right?"

"Right." House wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

"Then you would be okay with me going out with her?"

"You go out with her all the time. We both do."

"No, I don't mean the three of us. I mean me and her. Alone. On a date."

"You've taken her out on a date?"

"Not yet. But I'd like to."

"Why the hell would you want to go out with her?"

"She's beautiful, she's smart, funny, interesting. Oh, did I mention she's beautiful?"

"She's older than you. Hell, she's older than me."

"As if that matters."

House sat quietly for a moment, not sure what to say. He should just tell Wilson to go for it. What did it matter to him? But for some reason, it bothered him. The same way that asshole Jack in college bothered him. And her marriage to the other jerk.

"She doesn't need to be hurt." House told him.

"I don't plan on hurting her. I just want to take her out and see what happens."

"What will happen is you will marry her and then divorce her and she'll be devastated and I'll be caught in the middle. It's a bad idea. Don't do it."

"I don't intend to marry her and I didn't ask if you thought it was a good idea. I only wanted to be sure you weren't interested in her yourself."

"Me and Bob? No way." Why did he feel weird saying that? Of course, he wasn't interested in her. He wasn't!

"Well, then, good. I'm going to ask her for a date."

"Knock yourself out." But, he thought, if you hurt her, **I'll** knock you out.

House brooded about the thought of Bob and Wilson together for some time. Of course she would say yes. Wilson was the panty peeler champion of New Jersey. And from what he could tell, Bob hadn't been getting any for some time. They were a match made in, well, in some kind of horny heaven.

He should be happy for them. He WAS happy for them. His two best friends and they would be great together. They'd probably get married and be all sweet and cozy. God, he was going to be sick.

And why did his gut start to ache at the thought of it?

Bob was not expecting Wilson to call. They did sometimes meet for coffee, but they'd just done that the day before.

"Roberta," he began, "I was, uh, wondering if you wanted to get something to eat tonight?"

"Oh, eat, um, sure, I guess. Is Greg coming?"

"No, he isn't."

"Oh, is there something wrong?"

"Uh, no. I thought it would be nice for just the two of us to get together for more than just coffee."

Uh-oh, she thought. "Okay. Where do you want to meet?"

"I could pick you up."

"No, that's okay, I have things to do this afternoon. It's better if I meet you." The less time she spent alone with him, the better. This was going to be awkward enough, but it would be better to just be honest with him and let him know where things stood.

They met at a local restaurant. She could see that he was nervous and she decided to get this over with right away.

"James, why did you want to have dinner with me alone?"

He looked away from her and said, "Because I think…" he looked into her eyes, "That you are a terrific person and I'd like to see us be more than just friends."

"I'm very flattered. You're a terrific person too. But I'm just not interested in you that way."

"Well, you haven't known me that long."

"True, but I know when I have feelings for someone. You're a friend, a very good friend. But that's where it ends."

"Is there anyway I could convince you otherwise."

"No."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely sure."

He nodded, then sighed. "Okay, well, it was worth a shot."

She smiled. "Did Greg know we were having dinner together?"

"Yeah, I, uh, sort of asked his permission."

"You asked his permission? What, does he own me now?" she started getting a little angry.

"No, of course not. But the two of you have been friends for so long. I didn't want to upset him."

She hesitated, then asked, "So what did he say?"

"He said it was fine with him."

"Oh." But he could see the flicker of disappointment on her face and a thought occurred to him.

"Roberta, are you interested in House?"

"Interested in Greg? We've known each other for almost thirty years!"

"And how many of them have you been in love with him?"

She studied her hands on the table for a few moments before saying in a quiet voice, "About twenty-nine and a half."

"Have you ever told him?"

"God, no! He doesn't feel the same. It would be too embarrassing. And it would make our friendship really awkward."

"Maybe he's feeling the same. Maybe he's afraid to tell you."

"He's not. Believe me, James. Now, let's just enjoy dinner and drop this conversation.

He nodded, but the thought did not go away.


	23. PART 3 Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It took some time before the pounding on her door woke her up, but eventually she realized it wasn't some weird dream. She turned over and looked at the clock. One a.m. Who the hell was at her door at this hour?

She stumbled out of bed and headed for the door with some trepidation. She rationalized that a burglar, rapist or serial killer wouldn't bother knocking. Still, she picked up the phone on the table in the living room as she passed, dialing 9-1 as the knocking got louder.

With her finger poised over the last one, she checked that the chain was secure and she unlocked the deadbolt and eased the door open a crack.

Only to see House's blue eyes staring at her.

"Greg! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Let me in."

"It's one a.m."

"I have a watch, I didn't come here for a time check."

She sighed, closed the door and unhooked the chain, then opened the door again.

She was turning off the phone as he stepped inside. She looked up and saw anger on his face.

"Is he here?" he asked her.

"Is who here?"

"Wilson."

"Why would James be here?"

"You went on a date with him."

"No, I didn't."

"You didn't have dinner with him tonight?"

"Yes, I had dinner with him. It wasn't a date."

"He picked you up, you went to a restaurant and ate together. Knowing him, he probably paid. It was a date."

"I had dinner with a friend. He didn't pick me up. We split the check."

House stewed on this for a moment, trying to think of how to answer this.

"He likes you."

"I like him too. He's a nice guy."

"No, he likes you likes you."

"What is this, fucking junior high? We're friends. That's it. And why are you here? What the hell does me dating or not dating someone have to do with you?"

House was silent because he did not have an answer. The entire ride over here, he had wondered why he was doing it. And how he would react if he found Wilson still there, or, worse, in her bed. And why it mattered.

"I don't know." He finally said.

"It's late, Greg. Go home."

"You shouldn't date him."

She was starting to get angry. "Why the hell not?"

"He's been married three times. He'll break your heart."

"I've been married before as well. And my heart's pretty damn tough."

"Still…"

"You fucking introduced us!" she yelled at him. "If you think he's a jerk, why did you introduce him to me?"

"I don't think he's a jerk." He yelled back. "And I didn't introduce you so that you could sleep with him."

"I'm not sleeping with him and I have no intentions of sleeping with him."

"Then who are you sleeping with?"

"No one. And why is that any of your business?"

He was silent again, watching her as those hazel eyes blazed with anger. He noticed for the first time that her hair was comfortably tousled from her pillow and that she was wearing black pajama pants and a gray t-shirt. And that there was nothing under the shirt.

"Well?" she demanded.

Without saying a word, he closed the gap between them and pushed her against the wall, his lips crushing hers.

Her eyes flew wide open, as she tried to speak. But he wouldn't allow her. When her mouth opened, he thrust his tongue inside. After a moment of his tongue seeking hers, she gave up and allowed hers to join him. He tasted of every romantic dream she'd ever had. Her arms went around his neck and she pulled him closer to her.

Taking that as acquiescence, he moved his hands to her back and reached under her t-shirt to her bare skin. He moved them up and around as well, until he was at the sides of her breasts.

Her hands, meanwhile, caressed the nape of his neck, then wandered to his hair while her fingers started raking through it.

He covered her breasts with his hands and a small moan escaped despite the continued assault of his mouth on hers. He pulled her shirt up and over her head, tossing it quickly to the floor. His mouth moved from her lips to her nipple. He attacked one and then the other; while his hands slipped down to push her pants down.

When she could manage a coherent thought, she realized what was about to happen and quickly made her decision. Her hands left his hair and moved to fumble with his belt buckle and zipper.

Her pants were around her ankles by this time, so he helped her and managed to do the same with his jeans. He popped out, full and hard. She closed her hand around him and caressed gently, then with more pressure.

It was his turn to groan, then he pushed her hand away and, erasing all space between them, thrust himself inside her. She felt her back hitting the wall and he continued to assault her with hard thrusts. His lips alternated between her lips and her nipples and she moaned in ecstasy.

Just when she felt she could take no more, she found herself building. He could feel it too and pushed even harder. She came with a scream and he followed close behind.

He pulled out of her, then stepped back, looking at her still leaning against the wall. Her eyes were closed and her nipples were erect and pointing at him. He wanted to take her again.

Then her eyes opened and she gave him a nervous smile. He turned sideways, pulled up his pants and without looking at her, limped out the door.

She watched him leave, then slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor with her knees bent in front of her. She covered her face with her hands and cried.


	24. PART 3 Chapter 11

Chapter 11

House had just gotten to work when his cell phone rang and he saw it was Bob calling. He was so not dealing with this now.

It rang again at lunchtime and around three. Before he left for the day, he saw there was a voice mail. He listened to it:

"Greg, call me. I don't want anything to be weird. Just, let's talk."

He deleted it and went home.

Over the next few days, there were several more calls, voice messages, texts and emails from her.

They started like the first one, call me, let's talk, etc., then progressed to: "hey, asshole, stop being a prick and call me."

Three nights after the sex, he was at home at the piano, when there was a knock at his door. He stopped playing and waited. Another knock, and then, "Greg?" he heard Bob call out.

He didn't move and she spoke again. "Come on, I know you're there. I heard the piano. Open the goddamn door!"

Still he stayed where he was.

"Okay, be the dumbass you always have been."

He waited until he heard the footsteps retreating, then closed his eyes and put his forehead down on the piano.

The next day he was in his office, his back to the door, tossing the red and gray tennis ball. Of course tossing the ball made him think about her, but he still kept doing it. He heard someone enter. Thinking it was one of his team bringing him test results, he turned.

To see Bob standing there, he eyes blazing.

"You know, asshole," she began, "You may think that sex with you is so cataclysmic that a woman is useless afterwards, but that's just bullshit. I've actually been able to dress myself, eat and go to work without turning into a pile of goo. I've also been able to remember who has been my friend for the past thirty years, something you're obviously unable to do."

He was silent and she sighed. "Avoiding me was stupid and rude."

"I thought it would be weird between us." He said in a low voice.

"It will be – for a bit. Then it won't be. I don't intend to throw away our friendship for a few minutes of sex. So the sooner we get over the weird crap, the sooner we go back to friends."

He smiled at her and she smiled back. He wondered how long it would take before he looked at her and didn't picture her naked.

The three of them got together again a few days later. House and Bob were uncharacteristically quiet and Wilson knew something was up.

The next day, when they were alone, he cornered House about it.

"What was up with the two of you? Why were you acting all weird?"

"Bob's freaking out because I nailed her against the wall in her house the other night."

"Wait, what? You had sex with her? When?"

"The night you took her out."

"What??? When did you…wait, you went to her house after she and I went out? Why?"

House was silent.

Realization dawned on him. "You went there because you thought I'd be there. You were jealous."

"I was not jealous."

"You went to her house late at night because you thought you'd find her with me. And when you didn't, you had sex with her?"

House nodded. "Banged her against the wall."

"How romantic."

"That's why she's freaking out about it."

"She's not freaking out. Contrary to your opinion, women do not sit around fantasizing about having sex with Greg House against a wall."

"You'd be surprised."

Wilson just shook his head. But as he thought about it, he began to believe that his friend had more feelings for this woman than he wanted to admit. And wasn't this an interesting development?

Bob was not freaking out. That night, after House left, she had somehow managed to return to her bed. Sleep, however, was not to be. The action she had dreamed about for all of those years had finally come to pass, just not in the way she'd hoped.

She tried to think about what it all meant, but she had no idea. Was he interested in her? Or was it just a spur of the moment thing? But he'd been jealous, that much was clear. She decided she wouldn't know what he was thinking until she talked to him.

So she tried calling him. Many times. When he continually ignored her calls, she started to get angry. This was the reason she had always avoided anything happening between them. She never wanted to risk losing their friendship.

When she stormed into his office and faced him down, she knew that was the only chance they had to straighten this out.

And they did. They started getting together again with Wilson and despite an uncomfortable first meeting, they began to relax.

Of course, he still kept remembering what she looked like naked and she kept remembering the feel of him inside her.


	25. PART 3 Chapter 12

Chapter 12

During spring break, Bob took a trip to New York City for a few days. House wanted to know why she was going there, but she was evasive.

"I just have some things to do."

"What kind of things?"

"Business."

"What kind of business?"

"Aren't you the curious one? **MY** business."

"But…"

"Let it go, Greg."

"I could come with you. We could go to that cool jazz club and –"

"Not this trip."

No matter how he badgered her, she refused to tell him what it was about.

He complained to Wilson about it.

"She's right." Wilson told him. "It is none of your business."

House gave him a withering look. "Everything is my business."

"You think so, but unfortunately, the world doesn't agree."

"The world are idiots."

Wilson just shook his head. "She's a busy, complex woman. She's had a lot happen to her in the years since the two of you were together."

"Yeah, things she never told me about."

"Well, I'm sure there are things you didn't tell her."

"Nope. She knows everything."

"Oh, so you told her about faking cancer to get drugs?"

House didn't answer.

"And stealing my prescription pad to write your own?"

House stood up and headed for the door.

"And what about…"

"What are you, a human video recorder?" House said as he left his friend's office.

Wilson's points notwithstanding, House was still extremely curious as to what Bob was up to. When she returned, he started pumping her for information, which she deftly avoided.

"Did you catch a show?" he queried.

"No. It was business."

"Oh, see some sights?"

"I've seen the sights. It was business."

"Well, did you—"

"Greg, stop it. I told you I went there for business." No matter what he said, she cut him off. Which, of course, made him more determined to know.

A few days later, she was unavailable for dinner when House asked her. So House found himself staking out her office, following her home, then to a restaurant where he watched her greet a guy at the bar. The guy (who was very young – late twenties), kissed her on the cheek. He was wearing a black sports jacket and black button down shirt, no tie and carried a briefcase. There were a lot of smiles between them as they moved to a booth. About an hour and a half later, he saw them leave. They hugged outside the restaurant and parted ways.

House followed her home, but the guy never arrived. He drove home, still perplexed.

"She seemed to know him well." He told Wilson the next day. "But they didn't spend the night together."

"Oh, my God!" Wilson said.

"What?" House asked him.

"Nothing. I just assumed that was the response you wanted. House, let it go. If she wanted you to know, she'd tell you. You need to let it go."

"Hello, my name is Greg House. Nice to meet you."

"Fine, whatever. Go ahead, drive her crazy. Make her hate you. That'll make everything right."

House stared at his cane, thinking about it. He knew Wilson was right. He also knew that it was ludicrous for him to be this obsessed about what she was doing. But he couldn't control himself. He HAD to know. What was she doing? Who was the guy? Was she sleeping with him? And why did that question seem to bother him the most?

House had to find out what was going on. Since she didn't seem to want to tell him, he knew he had to take matters into his own hands. He knew her class schedule and that she had class all day on Wednesdays. He snuck out of the hospital at lunchtime and drove to her house. A few manipulations with her lock and he was inside.

He started a methodical search. No diary in the bedroom, darn it. That would have made things easier. Nothing else that was too incriminating, except for her bright pink vibrator in her night table drawer. He found himself fantasizing for a few minutes about her using that before he moved on to her bathroom. No condoms, no birth control. But then he remembered that she'd had her tubes tied after her miscarriage. But still, there should be condoms if she was sexually active?

The kitchen held nothing interesting to him. Because of her eating plan, she didn't keep many snacks in the house. He and Wilson always had to bring their own when they came over and take any leftovers with them. He did find some Weight Watchers Latte ice cream bars in the freezer, so he snagged one of them while he continued his search.

Her computer was in a small bedroom that she had turned into an office. He switched it on and tried a few combinations for her password, but was striking out, when he noticed a large manila envelope sitting on side of the desk. It was addressed to Bob, but since it was open, he decided to give it a peek.

Inside were dozens of letters. A few were opened, but most were still sealed. All of them were addressed to Ms Marlena Walters, c/o Radcliffe Publishing in New York.

This was even more perplexing. He pulled out one of the open letters from the packet and slipped it out of its envelope. The words written on it didn't help clear anything up.

'_Dear Ms Walters,_

_I absolutely adored your last book! Sam and Jeff are my absolute favorites. Each book is absolutely better than the last one. You are the absolutely best writer ever. I am absolutely sure that I've never read anything better. I absolutely hope you write lots more books._

_Absolutely wonderful!_

_Edna White'_

House was absolutely sure that was the most annoying letter he'd ever read. But why did Bob have a letter from some moron talking about her favorite writer? He glanced at the other few open letters. They were all fan letters to 'Marlena Walters'.

Since he was having no luck with her computer, he decided to head back to work and do some research on his own.


	26. PART 3 Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Back in his own office, House immediately started a Google search on Marlena Walters. There were several entries. But the first and foremost one listed the name as the author of a series of mysteries. He clicked on the official website.

It showed a list of books, highlighting the newest one and featuring a synopsis and review:

'Marlena Walters does it again! Her tenth Museum Murder novel will follow her previous books onto the bestseller list. The crime solving skills of Samantha Warren, museum curator and her partner/lover, Dr. Jeffrey Store, will once again enchant the readers. This time around, Jeff's patient turns out to be…'

House stopped reading the review and checked out the rest of the website. It contained a synopsis of the characters and settings of the mysteries. However, there were no pictures of the author.

After reading about the books for several minutes, he decided he needed to read more than just a synopsis. Within minutes, he was on his motorcycle and heading for the nearest Borders. He made his way to the mystery section. Prominently displayed on the end cap was 'A Statue Off the Pedestal', the latest book. Nearby was the entire collection. Remembering the title from the website, he looked for the first one, 'A Portrait of Death'. When he found it, he took it to the cashier, headed home and settled in for a night of reading.

He had to admit the writing was excellent. The mystery was intriguing and the characters were engaging. However, he suspected that the characters felt just a little too familiar. There was no question that Samantha was Bob. Sam's mother had died when she was small and she was raised by her father and older brothers. (Poor Uncle George was left out!) She'd been a tomboy growing up and knew how to be tough. The men in her family were auto mechanics whose knowledge of cars often helped Sam with her cases. Sam's father lived well beyond her college years (wishful thinking on Bob's part – he knew she never stopped missing her dad.)

She'd studied Art History at an eastern college and had gotten a job that required her to travel a lot – which accounted for her fluency in many languages, including French, Spanish, Italian and German, as well as a serviceable knowledge of Arabic, Japanese and Russian. House knew that Bob had the same abilities – it had been necessary for her to do her job the way she did.

Samantha had spent twelve years traveling before settling in New York as the curator of Columbia's (fictional) museum. While he was reasonably sure Columbia had a museum, it was most likely not as extensive as the one described by Bob in her books. In her job as curator, she stumbled upon dead bodies in the course of her work.

Sam also struggled with a weight problem. She had been overweight in college, but had managed to shed the pounds and was now quite shapely. However, she still had to watch what she ate.

How could House help but like Sam? She'd been his best friend for over thirty years.

Which brought him to Sam's partner, Dr. Jeffrey Store. Jeff was a military brat – his father had been a navy captain (and wouldn't John House have just loved that!) – who always wanted to be a doctor. They'd met in college and became fast friends. They'd been only friends back then – except for once when they'd shared a night of passion (where did that come from?) before he'd left to do an internship at the Mayo clinic (well, that was nice of her – giving him back the internship that he'd lost). He'd never married, but he did have a long-term girlfriend for several years, although that relationship was now ended.

There was no infarction –which made Jeff able to be helpful in chasing down bad guys with Sam or carrying her into the bedroom for passionate interludes.

Because when Sam settled into her curator job, she reconnected with her friend who was working at the university hospital. Their friendship soon developed lots of sexual tension which played out well over the first few books. They finally did the deed in book four. (To the joy of the ecstatic fans, per the website.) Now they were a team – semi-professionally and personally – and the chemistry between them kept the books fresh and fun.

Jeff was very tall and slim, with devastating blue eyes (devastating, huh?). He had no patience for stupid people, be they museum officials, the police or his own patients. But he was brilliant and able to cure anyone, so everyone put up with his rudeness. Except Sam, who called him on it constantly. She mellowed him and smoothed away the rough edges, turning an old curmudgeon into a witty, sexy rogue.

While he wasn't displeased with the portrayal of Dr. Store, it worried him. Was Bob as in love with him as Sam was with Jeff? And had she loved him all these years as well? If she had, what should he do with that knowledge?

It was time to confront Marlena Walters.

Bob returned home from a long and tiring day. She'd had to take her students to the museum for field study and while some of them were truly engaged by what they saw, others had been bored and easily distracted. Trying to keep them interested had been a frustrating exercise and by the end of the day, she had a headache and just wanted to relax quietly with a glass of wine.

But when she walked in, she was surprised to find a lamp on in her living room and to see House sitting there with a book in his hands.

"What are you doing here, Greg?"

"Catching up on my reading. Check this out. 'Sam looked into Jeff's devastating blue eyes' – by the way, devastating? Good adjective – 'Sam looked into Jeff's devastating blue eyes and said, 'You were always my dream."' Now that's good writing. Can't imagine how fiction writers think of this stuff. Of course, if it's not fiction, but fact…"

"Greg, what do you want?"

"I want to meet Marlena Walters. She seems like a very perceptive writer. How did she manage to create such a captivating character like Doctor Jeffrey Store? I really feel a closeness to him. It's like she looked into my soul when she created him. How did she know?"

She sighed and sat heavily on the sofa. "How did you find out?"

He raised his eyebrows. "I have my ways."

"So what do you want to know?"

"Everything, of course."

"I'm getting a drink first. Do you want a drink?"

He nodded. She left the room and came back a minute later with two glasses. She handed him one, and returned to the sofa.

"Okay, well, I started them about twelve years ago. Traveling the way I did, it was lonely. You go to a new city every few months and you don't have any friends, no one to hang out with. When I was fat, I would just find restaurants or buy snacks to eat while I watched TV. But once I was trying to lose weight, I couldn't use food anymore to alleviate my boredom. I'd work out and stuff, but eventually, I'd be sitting alone and needing something to do.

"One day a janitor was found dead at the museum I was working at. It was a heart attack, no big deal. But I started to imagine what if it had been murder? I began to weave a story around this poor man's death. And somehow, the first Museum Murder Mystery was born.

"I didn't think anyone would want to read it, but just for shits and giggles, I sent it to a publisher. And for some reason, they loved it. And the rest is, as they say, history."

He was silent while she spoke, thinking about it. Finally, he said, "So you've become a successful author as well as doing your museum job."

"Yep."

"Where did Marlena Walters come from?"

"My mom's name was Marlene, my dad's was Walter."

He nodded. "Samantha Warren sounds an awful lot like you."

"Well, of course, I had to make her someone I was familiar with so that I could make her real."

"And Dr. Jeffrey Store? Are you telling me he's not me?"

"He's based on you. These kinds of books need sexual tension. They sell more books that way. The only guy I know really well is you. And I figured a medical doctor would be able to help her in lots of ways. So that was a no-brainer."

He stared at his drink. "How much of this is real?"

"None of it. I don't solve murders."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Bob."

She stood up and walked to the window. "Are you asking if I'm in love with you."

He didn't answer.

"God, you have a high opinion of yourself. I must be in love with you if I wrote it that way. You're so arrogant."

"So you're not in love with me?"

"Why? Are you in love with me?" she asked.

"Answer the question." He persisted.

"You answer mine."

They stood there staring at each other, both afraid to answer and of the other's answer. Both afraid to say the words that would turn this friendship into something else. Something completely different.

She broke the spell first. "Why are you so insistent on knowing this?"

"Because you lied to me! I want to know why."

"I never lied. I just didn't tell you."

"Sins of omission."

"What are you the fucking pope?"

"You didn't tell me about your miscarriage."

"I never told anyone. It was too painful."

He refused to stop and consider this. "You didn't tell me about your weight loss."

"To not hurt you."

He went on. "And you didn't tell me about the books."

"Because I thought you'd think they were silly."

"Why would I think they were silly? They're mysteries. You know I love mysteries."

"They're also love stories. I figured you'd laugh and call me a girl."

"You are a girl, but I think you always have been. Remember, you were the only one who didn't get mad at the love scene between Han and Leia in the Empire Strikes Back."

She smiled slightly. "I know. Harrison Ford, oh my!"

"But you should have told me anyway. Especially since you used me for your male character. I could sue you."

"You're not going to sue."

"I could."

"Greg, there's a lot of things that happened in my life that you don't know about. Little things that really didn't have anything to do with you, so I've never brought them up. I'm sure you didn't tell me absolutely everything that you did over the years."

"I told you everything." He said, all the while thinking about what Wilson had said.

"Bullshit. The thing is, I've grown and changed. But you? You're still a dumbass freshman."

He glared at her for a few seconds, then stormed out of her house.


	27. PART 3 Chapter 14

Chapter 14

He didn't call her for a several days. She was going to go after him to find out why, but she was pissed. She was enormously proud of her books. That she hadn't told him about them was more fear that he would laugh them off as silly love stories and she wouldn't have been able to bear that. They were like her children – the only children she was ever destined to have. And what mother wants to see her children subjected to ridicule?

So screw him!

But after brooding about House and being angry for two weeks, she decided she'd had enough. The next day at lunch, she invited her colleague, Devon Miles, to dinner. She could see how happy he was that she had done so. She just wished she felt more excited about it.

Still, he was a very nice man and they'd become friendly. Not the same kind of friends she was with House, but they did have some things in common and they laughed together a lot.

Devon had an MBA from Wharton. He'd been a big shot in the corporate world for a long time. But after his marriage failed due to his obsession with his career and a health scare a few years back, he had reassessed his life. He left his high-powered job and got a teaching position in the math department at Princeton. He'd never been happier.

But he did miss a female companion. He hadn't met anyone since his divorce that had really interested him. Until he met Roberta Janorski. She was beautiful and smart. Everything he wanted in a woman. If only she would show the same interest in him.

When she invited him to dinner, he was thrilled, hoping that finally she was ready for a relationship with him.

They had a lovely dinner, casually conversing and laughing easily.

When he left at the end of the evening, she clasped his hand and stood far enough back that he realized a good night kiss was not in the cards that night.

After that, they got together occasionally to go the movies, the theater or just for dinner. Since House had stopped calling her, she was glad to have someone to spend time with.

Wilson called her to see how she was doing. They met for drinks or coffee once in a while. She tried to keep it casual, as she didn't want to lead him on.

But with Devon, she tried to allow herself to let the relationship grow. There were now some good night kisses. They weren't as exciting as when House had kissed her, but every man was different and since House wasn't doing any further kissing, she had to live her life the best she could.

And of course she had dinner with Cuddy, who commiserated with her.

"House is a jerk, but you've always known that." Cuddy told her.

"I know, I know. But this is just a bad time for me. I've got the study tour coming up – five cities in four weeks - my book coming out in late summer. I can't deal with his crap right now."

"So don't. Let him stew. He'll either come around or he'll be miserable and alone."

Bob sighed. "That's the problem. I promised his mother that I would always be his friend so that he wouldn't be miserable and alone."

"Oh, God, promises made to mothers are tough."

"I know. And he is my friend. He's done a lot for me over the years. I can't just desert him."

"So give him some time to think about it, then contact him."

"Maybe. I'll just have to think about when to do it."

House found himself missing Bob more than he had thought he would. Even over all the years that they were apart, she had always been there. The letters came regularly and there were yearly phone calls when they could. And he knew that if he needed her, he could always get in touch with her, no matter how far away she was.

Now she lived only a few miles from him and he couldn't talk to her. Well, he could, but he was too stubborn to actually make the call.

That didn't mean that he wasn't keeping tabs on her and her actions.

He walked into Wilson's office and sat on the sofa. Wilson glanced up from his paperwork, then back to it, knowing his friend would reveal what he wanted eventually. Besides, he had a good idea what was bothering him and it could be spelled with three letters.

After staring at his cane, then banging it on the floor several times, ignoring Wilson's sighs, he finally spoke. "She's dating someone."

Wilson feigned ignorance. "Who's dating?"

House glared at him for a moment, then continued. "Why is she dating someone?"

"Well, let's see, she's a beautiful, heterosexual woman who likes people, male ones especially, and would like some companionship especially since her supposedly best friend for the last thirty years is ignoring her. Especially after he already had sex with her. I can't imagine why she would want to see someone."

House glared at him some more, but didn't answer.

"House, you should call her. It's been what, almost two months since you talked to her?"

House shrugged.

"Well, you should call her now, because she'll be going away soon."

He sat up. "Where's she going?"

"She's teaching a study tour in Europe when the semester ends. Five cities in four weeks."

He nodded. She had mentioned the possibility several months ago and had started coming up with a teaching plan.

"So she'll be back in a month."

"Actually, she'll be gone six or eight weeks. After the study tour, she's going on vacation to Tuscany."

The look on House's face was priceless. "Is she going to be alone in Tuscany?"

"I don't know, she didn't say."

House glared at him some more, before leaving the office. Wilson sat back and smiled.

As Bob prepared for her trip, she also planned for the late summer release of her next book. Due to her job, she'd been unable to do much promoting of her books and she'd also tried to keep her identity to herself. But since she'd settled in Princeton, her publisher had convinced her to do some book signings and web interviews. She could still keep it low key, but the promotion would help sales.

Bob didn't believe the books needed the promotion, as they sold very well. In fact, she'd already made enough money from them so that she really didn't have to work anymore unless she wanted to. But the publisher said that it would be a good idea.

And to tell the truth, she was a little excited about it. She was usually in Europe or Africa or someplace far away when the books were released, so she didn't get to enjoy the book launch the way she would now.

She'd also begun receiving the fan mail. While she'd traveled, she'd had her publisher open the mail and send a form letter of appreciation with her signature.

It wasn't that she wasn't happy to receive it, she was ecstatic. But due to her job, by the time she got the letters, it was several weeks later and she didn't want her readers to wait that long for a response.

So she drafted a few generic letters that covered most of the responses and she signed them. The publisher was instructed to send one of them out within a week of receiving the fan letter.

If there was one that needed a personal answer for some reason, she would do those, but the publisher would send out a letter stating that:

'Ms Walters is promoting her book and unavailable at this time, but once she returns, she will give you a personal response to your letter. Thank you for your patience.'

And she always responded personally to those letters.

So she had spent the last two months answering fan mail, preparing for the study tour and dating Devon. It kept her too busy to brood over House and his childish behavior.

Almost.

Late at night, alone in her bed, she realized how much she missed him. He'd been a part of her life for thirty years. Even when they were miles apart, she could always depend on him being there for her.

Now she wasn't sure if he would ever be there for her again. And that hurt more than anything she'd ever known.

The study tour was something she had suggested to the dean and he had loved the idea. There hadn't really been a teacher before with the knowledge and experience to run a study tour like this.

She chose the cities of Rome & Florence in Italy; Paris, France; London, England and Ultrecht in the Netherlands. She felt those cities were the most influential to European art. Next year she was considering doing one for ancient art, so that she could use Egypt and Greece. But for this year, Europe would do.

She had a group of twelve students, all art or art history majors who were interested and enthusiastic. She had met with each of them before approving their applications. She didn't want to take anyone who was thinking this would be an easy way to get some college credits. She wanted students who really loved art. If she had to spend four weeks with them, she wanted kids that weren't going to make her crazy.

Devon was very helpful before the trip, running errands for her and bringing food to her house. She knew that House would not have been that helpful.

When she left, Devon took her to the airport and kissed her goodbye. And idiot that she was, she wished Greg House was kissing her goodbye.

But before she left for Europe, she remembered the promise she'd made to Blythe, that she'd always be there for House, always be his friend. She decided that she needed to reach out to him before the trip.

She pulled one of the advance copies that had just arrived of her latest book from the box and wrote something inside. Then she put it in a padded manila envelope and mailed it.

Two days later, House found a padded envelope on his desk. He saw the return address was Bob's. He carefully opened the package and saw it was her book. There was a post it note on the outside cover that said 'Open me!' He lifted the cover and saw the inscription:

_**Jeff Store is just a weak copy of the most original character that ever lived. And without him, this book, and all of the others, would never have happened. Thank you for always being there for me. I hope you still are? **_

_**Bob**_

He smiled. He knew she put the ball in his court now. He almost picked up the phone to call her right then, but that really wasn't his style. Besides, she had already left for Europe. He'd have to do something really special.


	28. PART 3 Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Five cities in four weeks had seemed like a good idea when Bob proposed the study tour. Being a seasoned traveler, she didn't think it would be a big deal.

But in reality, it was exhausting. The students had a lot more energy than she did. And she'd been getting very comfortable in her snug little home. Traveling was not as much fun as it used to be.

The other thing was that she'd always had House in the background as someone she could write to or call or just relate humorous stories to. Now she didn't and that hurt her more than anything else ever had.

Devon called her and tried to keep in touch, but it wasn't the same.

She almost called the rental agent to cancel the house she'd rented, even though she would lose money as a result. But the more she thought about it, the more she decided that the beauty and peace of Tuscany would do her some good. It was one of her favorite places in the world. The village of Fauglia had welcomed her many times before.

So, bleary-eyed and exhausted, she drove her rental car through the Italian countryside to Fauglia and up the drive to the 19th century farmhouse. She'd been here before and loved this house. She'd even considered buying it. Maybe now was the time?

She unlocked the door and practically collapsed into bed, sleeping for five hours. When she woke up, she realized there was no food in the house. She had meant to stop in the town for supplies, but had been too exhausted. She was still tired, but figured she'd better do her shopping first.

She drove to the village and to the little store that sold food and other supplies. As soon as she entered, Mario greeted her.

"Ciao, Signorina Roberta! You've come back to us."

"Ciao, Mario. How are you? How is your family?"

"Buono, buono, signorina. Everything buono."

"Things doing well in the village?"

"Oh, si, especially since il dottore has come."

"Who?" She asked.

"Il dottore. Everyone loves il dottore."

"Oh, you have a new doctor in the town?"

"Si, si. But he is wonderful. Everyone loves him."

She smiled. "Well, that's nice. I'm glad everyone is happy."

She picked up some cheese, bread, and fresh vegetables. As she was paying for her food, another woman walked into the store and started speaking in rapid Italian to Mario. Bob understood enough of what she was saying. The woman was telling Mario what il dottore had just said and they both laughed.

Before she left the store, Mario told Bob, "You must go to Anna's. She will want to see you and cook for you."

Bob nodded, smiled and left the store. She put her groceries in the car, then crossed the road to the little restaurant owned by Anna Pitera. The older woman had more or less adopted Bob and she made it a point to visit her restaurant whenever she was anywhere near Fauglia.

Anna greeted her with hugs and kisses. "Mia cara! You have returned!"

The woman sat her down and began bringing food for her. Bob laughed and told her to stop after an antipasto, a bowl of gnocchi and some sauteed veal. Anna had known Bob before the weight loss and she understood her need to stay healthy, so she stopped and sat down with her to chat.

"How are you, Anna? Are you taking your medication?"

"Oh, si, si, I do what I must. But things are so much better here, now that il dottore is here in Fauglia."

"Okay, Mario was talking about this guy too. Who the hell is he?"

Anna frowned at her. "You watch your language. I told you before, ladies don't use bad words."

Bob had to smile. Anna was like a mother/grandmother to her and she loved the woman. "Seriously, Anna, who is he?"

"He is so smart, so funny. Everyone loves him."

"Okay, if you say so." Bob chatted with Anna as she finished her meal, then kissed the woman and headed out to her car, when a young boy intercepted her.

"Signorina, signorina, il dottore wants to talk to you!"

"What? Who?"

"Il dottore! He is at the tavern. He wants to see you. You must come now!"

"I don't want to talk to il dottore!" Bob said, but the boy was pulling on her arm. Fine, she thought, I can tell this joker not to think that he can order me around.

When she entered the tavern, there was a small crowd of people gathered around a table. She couldn't see the person sitting at the head, but the boy kept pulling her forward. Then he broke away and went right up to the person.

"I have brought her, dottore, I have brought la signorina. She is here!"

The crowd parted as she moved closer to the table. As her view was cleared, she saw a man sitting there. He had a scruffy beard and bright blue eyes.

She was shocked. "What the hell are you doing here, Greg?"

"Welcome, welcome, come into my lair."

"You have got to be kidding me! You're il dottore?" Then she rolled her eyes. "Of course, you're il dottore! You're also il dickhead."

"Language, language, dear."

She shook her head. There was so much she wanted to say, but she was too upset at that moment and the last thing she wanted to do was to make a scene in the tavern.

"I can't deal with this right now." She turned on her heel and marched out, got in her car and drove home.


	29. PART 3 Chapter 16

Chapter 16

House limped out after her and followed her on the motorcycle that he had rented when he'd arrived in Milan. It had seemed so much more fun than renting a car.

He pulled into the drive of her house and saw her removing her groceries from the car. He parked beside her, got off and after picking up one of the packages, followed her into the house.

"I don't remember inviting you in." She said.

"I came all the way to Italy to see you, the least you can do is invite me in."

"Why did you? I was in Princeton, a few miles away from you and we hadn't spoken in the last three months or more. And suddenly you need to see me so badly, you fly to Italy?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

He stared at the floor, afraid to speak. Finally, he said, "You shocked me with your books. I didn't expect that and I wasn't sure what to do with it."

"You weren't supposed to do anything with it, they're my books."

"But you're in them and so am I. It started to make me wonder."

"About what?"

"About you. And me. And what you really want."

"What I want?"

He walked towards her. "Yeah, what do you want?"

She stood perfectly still, waiting to see what he would do. "What do you want?" She asked him.

When he was face to face with her, he reached out his hand and touched her cheek very gently. "I asked first. What do you want?"

"I-I don't know."

"What do you want, Roberta?" he whispered huskily.

At the sound of her name on his lips, she melted. "You. I want you."

Then his fingers traced her lips. She closed her eyes and he moved his hand down to her neck and moved his lips to meet hers. This was not hard and rough, the way he'd kissed her before. This was gentle. His lips caressed hers, deepening ever so slightly. By this time, her lips were screaming for him and she parted them. He moved his tongue to meet hers, but still slowly, gently. Their tongues danced a slow waltz, but she was melting inside and her arms instinctively encircled him.

He pulled her close to him and deepened the kiss further until it was red hot and scorching them both. His hands started moving slowly over her body, caressing her as his lips had done to her mouth. She was ready to die, but she came up for air long enough to whisper, "How about this time we try it horizontally?"

He gave her a wicked, sexy smile and took her hand. "I assume this house has a bedroom?"

She pulled him with her into her bedroom. They resumed the slow dance of caresses, but moved carefully to the bed. He sat down and gently guided her down beside him, where he continued to kiss her, not just her mouth, but her cheek, her neck, the tip of her nose. She started to unbutton his shirt and he pulled her top over her head. He slipped a finger inside the neat black bra that she wore and touched her nipple.

She groaned her pleasure and, after removing his shirt and t-shirt, moved her hands over his chest. She worked her way down and undid his belt and zipper. He stood briefly to push the pants and briefs down and she took his semi-erect cock in her hand, while he continued to kiss her and play with her nipple. He pushed the bra straps off her shoulders and reached behind to undo the clasp. Soon the garment was on the floor and he was working on her slacks. She wriggled out of them and her panties and was now beside him, gloriously naked. He was uneasy about his leg, so he moved the covers aside and slipped under them before removing his pants. She slipped in beside him and soon they were skin to skin.

"Tell me what you want." He said again.

"I told you, I want you."

"Tell me more."

"I want you inside me."

He moved on top of her then and while still keeping the movements slow and gentle, he maneuvered himself between her legs and started working himself into her. She put her hands on his ass and urged him to work faster. Finally, he entered her and kept the slow pace, driving her crazy with the exquisite torture.

She moaned her pleasure and frustration. "Oh, God, Greg, if you don't fuck me right now, I swear I'm going to murder you!"

He chuckled, but started thrusting harder. She met his movements with her own and could feel herself building. Just as she was about to let go, he felt himself come to the edge as well and together they exploded.

Afterwards, her head was on his chest and his arm was around her.

"Why did you call me Roberta?" she asked him.

"It's you name."

"But you've never called me Roberta before – unless you were mocking me."

He hesitated, then in a quiet voice said, "I was making love to you. Somehow the thought of making love to Bob didn't seem right."

She smiled. He had made love to her. The last time had been sex. Quick, hard sex. But this, this was something much more.

"Do you mind about the books?"

"Why should I mind?"

"Well, I did use you as the inspiration for Jeff."

"As long as 'Jeff' continues to be brilliant, devastatingly handsome and a sex god, I'm fine with it."

She was silent for a while, then finally said. "What's next for us, Greg?"

"How did I know you were going to ask that?"

"I don't want to lose you as a friend. If it means I have to give up the sex, I will."

"We're not giving up the sex. We can have sex and still be friends. Can't we?"

"I guess can live with that."

He smiled.


	30. PART 3 Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"So how did you end up being 'il dottore' in this town? The people here seem to adore you."

"Of course they do. Everyone adores me."

She coughed a few times at that. "Is there a specific reason why they adore you?"

He shrugged. "I may have saved the life of the mayor's daughter."

"What? You saved Signor Castellani's daughter? They tried for fifteen years to have a baby. When that girl was born, they were over the moon. The whole town was."

"Yeah, well, when I got here, she wasn't doing so well. But I figured it out, she's fine now."

"No wonder they love you."

"What can I say? I'm just amazing."

She laughed and gave him a hug.

"So, I was here waiting for you for five days. Where were you? You were supposed to be here almost a week ago." He asked her.

"I was helping a friend."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Helping a friend to do what?"

She was surprised at his reaction. She decided to test him a little. "It was a special request. He needed my special skills."

House's face was murderous, blue eyes blazing. "And what special skills did you have? What did you do for him?"

She started to giggle. "My skills in Art History. He had some sculpture that he needed me to identify."

House stared at her.

Her giggles turned to laughter. "You're jealous!"

"No, I'm not."

"You are! That's so funny. You're jealous of me."

He just sat there, brooding on it and not speaking.

"You know, Greg," she said, "I don't think it's the first time."

"What?"

"Don't you think that you were a little bit jealous when I hooked up with Jack in college?"

"That wasn't jealousy, I was just trying to protect you from a jerk."

She chuckled. "So you weren't jealous then?"

"Nope." He said, keeping his eyes on his cane instead of her.

"Okay, but the night that I went out with James? The night that we…"

"Banged against a wall?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that. Are you telling me you weren't jealous then?"

"I was just horny. My favorite hooker cancelled on me at the last minute."

She gave him an icy stare. "That is not funny."

He sighed. "Okay, okay, maybe I was a little. I thought I'd find you there sleeping with Wilson and I figured you needed to experience the best before you tried the rest."

She rolled her eyes again. But then she got a serious, faraway look in her eyes.

"What is it? House asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all." She smiled and began moving her hands over his body to distract him.

Of course, it did.

Over the course of the next ten days, House and Bob made love – a lot. They made love on every conceivable surface in the farmhouse. Tables, chairs, rugs, bathtub, nothing was sacred. They did leave occasionally, going into town to have dinner or shop. The people in the town treated them like royalty. She had been a favorite there for a long time, but now she was the woman of 'il dottore'. That made them both celebrities as far as the townsfolk were concerned.

One day they went for a ride on his rented bike. They toured the beautiful Tuscan countryside and finally stopped on a hill that overlooked the valley. The view was breathtaking, with olive groves, streams and flowers below them.

Bob stood and looked out on the valley. "Isn't this beautiful?"

From behind her, House said, "Yes." But his eyes were not on the scenery. He moved close behind her and put his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him.

"I've been here dozens of times and I never get tired of the view here." She said.

"Hey, what's wrong with Jersey?"

She turned to him, smiling, "You're right. Who wants to spend time in Tuscany when you could have processing plants and refineries?"

"Damn straight." He looked at her and gave her a wicked smile. Then he moved away from her and lowered himself to the ground, leaning against a big tree.

"Come here." He said.

She sat down beside him, but he pulled her onto his lap.

"Too far away there." He whispered into her ear, then moved his lips to her throat.

"Greg, what are you doing?"

"If I have to explain it to you, then we've got a problem."

"No, I mean, we're in public."

House craned his neck to the right and to the left. They were alone on the hill. There were no houses or even a road nearby.

"Yeah, I can barely get through the hordes of people surrounding us." He told her. "Relax, there's no one here."

She looked around as well, but she had to agree with him – there was no one for miles. She settled herself onto his lap and kissed him.

When they came up for air, he said, "That's more like it."

"I can do better than that." She moved up from his lap. He was about to protest, until he saw her reach under her short denim skirt and slip her panties down and off.

"Oh, yeah." He sat back against the tree and enjoyed the view. Before she settled back on his lap, she reached for his belt buckle and undid it, then pulled down his zipper. Then she went back to his lap and began moving around. She could feel him growing hard beneath her hips and before long, she knew he was ready.

She lifted off of him and reached her hand down to pull his cock out. Then she slid down and carefully sheathed herself with him. He groaned as she settled in and began to move slowly at first, then faster. His hands molded her hips as she moved. This felt so good.

Finally, she could take no more and started riding him hard. He closed his eyes and muttered, "Fuck, that's good." She dug her fingers into his shoulders and let go. As he felt her release, he knew his own was right behind and filled her.

She rested her head on his shoulder and tried to get her strength back. His arms were locked around her back as he held her tight to him. At last they broke apart and she rose. She reached down to pick up her panties and was about to slip then on, when he said, "Uh, uh."

She looked at him inquisitively and he reached a hand out. "Give them here."

She handed them to him and he stuffed them into his pocket.

"But Greg, we still have to ride home."

"I know. Do you know how hot it is to have you riding on the back of the bike with no underwear?"

She shook her head, but smiled as he climbed on and she followed. She locked her arms around him tightly and he smirked as he drove them back to the farmhouse, where they somehow found the strength to continue their games.


	31. PART 3 Chapter 18

Chapter 18

But their romantic idyll was coming to an end. House only had two weeks vacation and he had to return to Princeton. He packed his clothes into his duffle and they went to bed, making love for the last time before he left.

In the morning, they were both reluctant to get up and end it, even though he knew he had to get moving to make his plane.

"Come back to Princeton with me now." House said as they held each other in her bed.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I have writing to do?"

"Can't you write in Princeton?"

"Not with you stopping by all the time to bother me."

"Bother you? BOTHER you? Is that what this is? Bothering you?"

"I didn't mean it that way!"

"In that case, I'll just leave and stop bothering you."

He started to get out of bed, but she rolled over on top of him and started kissing him.

"No." he said, "I don't want to bother you."

She ignored him and continued kissing, moving her mouth down from his lips. Her tongue skimmed his ear and she moved on to his neck. She trailed kisses down his chest, giving each nipple a lip and a suck. He tried to protest, but his words were half-hearted when her lips lightly touched his belly button before moving lower. He lost the ability completely, when she took him into her mouth.

"It's not that I don't want to be with you." She told him afterwards. "But I need to get a certain number of pages written before the semester starts, because I'll be too busy then. It's quiet and peaceful here and when you're not here, I'll have no excuse not to write."

"You still have over a month before the semester."

"Yes, but when I get back, I'll be spending ten days promoting the latest book."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm traveling, doing book signings, talk shows, that kind of stuff. It's actually pretty exciting. With my old job, I never had the time to do that. Hell, I wasn't even in the country. But now I can, so I'm really happy about it."

"Where are you going?"

"Everywhere. My publisher scheduled me everywhere it seems. Let's see, Charlotte, Miami, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, St. Louis and ending in New York."

"How the hell are you going to do that in less than two weeks?"

"Lots of plane trips, sometimes two cities in one day."

"That's crazy. You'll be exhausted."

"I'll be fine. But that's another reason why I need these two peaceful weeks here. I'll be nice and rested and ready to handle it."

"You won't be able to do it. You'll come back exhausted and sick."

"Of course, I won't. I'm used to traveling and I never get sick. I'll be fine."

"Whatever."

She got closer to him. "Are we going to continue this when we're home?"

"Yes, I fully intend to bang you in Princeton."

She hesitated before asking. "Are we telling anyone about it?"

"It's not anyone's business.'

She was silent, considering what he was thinking when he said that.

"But since neither of us is married," he continued, "It really doesn't matter if we do."

She nodded, quietly breathing a sigh of relief.

"Why? Have you already told someone?"

"How could I? We've been together almost every moment since you got here."

"Yeah, but you've been 'checking' email. Which means you've also been sending some."

She looked a little sheepish as she said, "I might have emailed Lisa.'

"Oh, great! You told my boss! "

"No, I told my girlfriend. That's what women do, tell their girlfriends about their love lives."

"You told my boss that I'm banging you. Did you also compare notes?"

She glared at him.

"Why didn't you also ask her to give me more time off so that I can keep on banging you?'

"Because you need to go back to work so that I can write."

"You like Dr. Jeff better than you like me."

She laughed. "Look at it this way, you've given me a lot of inspiration. Sam and Jeff are going to have some really hot love scenes. And considering that they were having a few problems, this will make the readers very happy."

"Why were they having problems?"

"Because Jeff was acting like an ass, so Sam started seeing someone else."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Yeah, about that. You won't be going out with your friend DICKen anymore, right?"

"His name is Devon."

"He'll always be DICKen to me. Answer me."

"Well, it sort of depends."

"On what?"

"On you. I mean, Devon takes me out to dinner and the theater and other places. If all you intend to do is 'bang' me, then maybe I will keep seeing him."

House got out of bed and started to get dressed. "We go out to dinner all the time."

"You and James and I go to eat and we split the check or you palm it off on James. It's not the same."

"We go other places too."

"As a group of friends."

"Well, that's what we are! And I thought you were 'just friends' with DICKen."

"Devon. I am. But he takes me out and treats me like a lady."

"Big deal. I've spent the last ten days treating you like a woman."

She gave him a strange look, then padded into the bathroom.

He finished dressing and threw the last few items into his duffle bag, then carried it out to sit it by the door. He went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He started munching on a piece of bread. A few moments later, she came out, wearing jeans and a red t-shirt.

"All ready to go?" she asked him in a flat voice.

"Yeah." He put the empty glass on the counter and headed for the door. She followed him, keeping her distance. Since he had to return the motorcycle to Milan where he'd rented it, they were parting here.

He secured the duffle onto the bike and picked up the helmet. She was standing by the door watching him.

He limped back to her. "Well, I guess I'll see you in Princeton."

"Guess so."

He started to walk away, then turned back to her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard, making sure his tongue met hers. As hard as she tried to hold back, she just couldn't.

When he finally ended it, his blue eyes met her hazel ones and he said, "Oh, and by the way, when you come home, I won't be banging you."

Her face fell. "You won't?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I'll be making love to you."

She watched in slack-jawed amazement as he returned to the bike and put on his helmet.

Before he started it, he added, "And I better be the only one doing that. So you can tell old _Devon_ that he's shit out of luck."

With that, he started the bike and after giving her a wave, rode away.

A smile started on her face. She had a feeling she wouldn't stop smiling for quite a while.


	32. PART 3 Chapter 19

Chapter 19

House waited by the baggage check for Bob. She had called him as soon as she'd landed and told him to meet her there. He didn't know why, since he couldn't carry anything. But he was anxious to see her. After spending ten days making love to her almost constantly, these past two weeks without her had been, well, lonely.

Of course, he and Wilson had hung out and he'd even had an interesting case to occupy him. All of the same things he'd been doing during the years before she came to Princeton. She'd emailed him everyday as well and a few times, he'd sent her one also.

But he wanted to see her, to hold her, to…make love to her.

He wondered for the umpteenth time why he'd used that particular phrase. The last time he'd referred to the sex act as making love had been the early days with Stacy. Did that mean he was in love with Bob, uh, Roberta, uh hell, he didn't even know what to call her. How could he know if he was in love with her?

Wilson thought he was and had told him so. When he'd returned from Italy and related what had happened, Wilson had smiled a sickeningly sweet smile.

"What?" House asked.

"You're in love with her."

"I LIKE her. I have for a long time. And I LIKE sleeping with her. Doesn't mean I'm in love."

"You traveled halfway around the world because you missed her."

"I banged her once before. It was good. I wanted to try it again."

"You ban— uh, had sex with her months ago. If you were so anxious to do it again, you would have done it earlier. You certainly wouldn't have waited until she was a continent away."

"So explain why I did it, oh, great love oracle."

"You acted like an ass, otherwise known as being yourself, and you stayed away from her. Then she reached out before she left and you wanted her. You missed her. Because you're in love with her."

"Sorry, that was my pager. The kids need me."

"House, your pager didn't go off."

"It's a new kind, only people who aren't romantic fools can hear it." House got up, grabbed his cane and started to walk away.

"Avoiding the conversation isn't going to change how you feel about her." Wilson called after him.

"No, but avoiding you will change the feeling that I'm going to throw up." He said over his shoulder as he left.

Wilson just shook his head and smiled.

House had thought a lot about that conversation -- and the several million others Wilson had tried to have with him since. Despite what he'd told his friend, the idea that he might be in love had occurred to him. And as each day passed and he missed her more, the idea grew stronger.

Now standing in the airport, scanning the sea of faces for her, he still wasn't sure what he felt. But when her face appeared in the crowd, he felt something go tight in his chest. She was looking in all directions, trying to find him. When she saw him, her face lit up.

"Greg!" she called, walking swiftly to his side.

She stopped in front of him, unsure of how she should greet him. He hesitated as well, mumbling, "Hi."

"Hi." She replied, then covered up the awkwardness by searching the baggage carousel for her luggage. When she found it, she took it off and, after expertly piling it up, said, "Let's go."

He was amazed both at how few pieces she had for two months in Europe and at how easily she had gotten it together. She saw his amazement and said, "I had to travel a lot. I learned to pack lightly and in a way that I could carry."

He headed to the parking lot, found his car, opened the trunk and helped her load the luggage inside. They were closing the trunk and she was heading for the passenger side, when he touched her on the arm. She looked up at him and he pulled her close to him, catching her hands between their chests.

He kissed her and said, "Welcome home."

Her eyes sparkled as she kissed him back. "Thank you." She whispered.

When they got to her house, she unlocked the door and went inside. It amazed her how good it felt to be home. She hadn't known the feeling of having a real home in such a long time and she'd missed this little house even while enjoying the beauty of Tuscany.

And coming home to the man limping into the house behind her was an added bonus that she hadn't expected.

As she started going through the mail piled up on the table that Wilson had made sure to bring in for her while she was gone, she heard House move to the sofa and sit down.

"So did you get any work done over there, when you could have been here diddling me?"

She looked at him. "As intriguing as 'diddling' you sounds, yes, I did get some work done. And I'll have you know, you did provide some wonderful inspiration. The readers are going to be ecstatic when they see what Sam and Jeff do."

He considered that for a moment. "Do you go into detail in your books? I mean, I only really read the first one, before they DID anything."

"Yes, I go into detail."

He sat up, interested. "Explicit detail?"

"Yes. That's what the readers want."

He sat back, a smirk appearing on his face. "I think I'm going to have to read all of those books."

"You're that interested in what two fictional characters do in bed?"

"No, but I am interested in how you write smut. That is totally hot!"

She laughed, still looking through the mail.

"Come here." He said.

She glanced at him. "I have so much to do. Check my mail, pay my bills, unpack all my stuff. Then pack again, since I leave on the book tour in two days!"

"You've got ten minutes to sit here."

She saw his blue eyes pleading and put the mail back on the table, then moved to the sofa and sat beside him. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, long and slow. She closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, savoring every second.

"Mmm." She said, when she came up for air. "That's nice."

He looked at her, unsure if he should say what he wanted to say. Finally, he whispered, "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Don't leave on that book tour."

"I have to. I promised my publisher. They've got book signings set up, talk shows, everything. I have to go."

He looked upset and she put her hand on his cheek. "It won't be long. Then, when I come back, I won't be traveling again for a while. We'll have plenty of time to, uh, diddle?"

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her again, this time, moving his hand under her shirt.


	33. PART 3 Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The book tour was exhausting. Bob tried to tell herself that it was only because she had never really done one of these before. But in reality, her publisher knew that she only had about ten days before the semester began and so she tried to cram as much as she could into those days. Bob found herself trying to sleep at night on the airplanes as she sped from city to city. Sometimes, if the cities were only a hour or so by plane away from each other, she'd be in one city in the morning and a different one in the afternoon.

She tried to call House from the airport or her hotel each evening, but more often than not, she was too tired to say much more than hello to him. He was tied up with a case that came up a few days after she left, so he was a little preoccupied when she called.

The night before she came home, she called him to tell him.

"I don't think I'll be able to pick you up at the airport. This case has me stumped." He told her.

"That's okay." She said wearily. "The publisher is sending a car. I'll see you whenever you can get over. I'm so tired, I'll probably just collapse when I get home anyway."

"Okay. I'll try to get over there as soon as I can."

She bid him goodbye and closed her eyes immediately. Trying to stay awake was futile. She was so glad this tour was over.

The next day, she stumbled off of the plane, barely able to stand up straight. She took her carry-on rolling suitcase with her as she left the gate and out the door.

Thank God, she thought, when she saw the man next to the black car, holding a sign with her name on it. She made her way to it and almost tumbled inside.

Before she knew it, she heard the driver, "Miss Janorski?"

She lifted her head, realizing that she had fallen asleep on the ride from the airport. God, she couldn't remember ever being this tired.

She stumbled into her house and dropped the suitcase by the door. All she wanted to do was sleep, but the bedroom felt like miles away. Even the sofa seemed far, but at least she could see it. Somehow she made it there and collapsed. She didn't even get her shoes off before she fell asleep.

It was much later that evening when House was finally able to get to Bob's house. He had tried calling her that morning, but she didn't answer. He knew she was tired and assumed she'd just turned off the phone.

He knocked on her door several times, but she didn't answer. He called out her name, but there was no response. He dialed the phone again from his cell. He could hear it ringing inside, but no one picked up. Had she gone out? He tried calling her cell phone, but there was no answer there either. But he could hear a faint sound from inside. Was that her cell as well?

That meant she was home. But she wasn't answering the phone or the door.

Now he was getting alarmed. Using his breaking and entering skills, he finessed the lock and entered the house. It was dark inside and he almost tripped over her suitcase by the door. He limped to the nearest lamp and switched it on.

That was when he saw her passed out on the sofa. He could tell she was passed out, because she was still wearing her blazer and her shoes. It was hot as hell in there as well. She looked like she had simply collapsed on the sofa.

He made his way quickly to her.

"Bob?" he said, shaking her lightly. She didn't respond. Fear gripped him as he took her pulse. She had one, but it was very slow. He put his hand on her forehead. Even without a thermometer, he could tell she burning up.

He hurried to her bathroom, looking for one, but couldn't find any. Damn! He'd ridden his motorcycle over, so he didn't have his bag with him. He thought about riding home for it, but he was a little afraid to leave her like this.

He whipped out his cell phone and speed dialed Wilson.

When his friend answered, he said, "Wilson, get over to Bob's. There's something wrong with her. Bring your bag."


	34. PART 3 Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Wilson was there in about fifteen minutes. In the time before he got there, House had taken Bob's pulse about twenty times, and called Wilson to hurry him along until he stopped answering after finally telling House that he would get there faster if he stopped bothering him.

As soon as the younger doctor arrived, House grabbed his bag and dumped the contents on the coffee table.

"House! Is that necessary?"

"I need to take her temperature NOW."

"I would have gotten it out for you."

But House wasn't listening. He had the thermometer out and was putting it under her tongue.

"What are her symptoms?" Wilson asked her.

"She has a fever, chills, she's sleeping and doesn't want to wake up."

Wilson pulled open her eyelids and looked inside. He took her pulse while House waited for the thermometer. When the time was up, he pulled it out and took a look.

"What is it?" Wilson asked.

"A hundred point five." House took her pulse again.

Wilson stared at him. "House, that's not that high."

"It's high enough."

"House, focus here. She has the flu."

"No, it could be…"

"House, come on. You know it's the flu.'

He looked at his friend, then he looked back at Bob, asleep on the sofa.

"What's wrong with me?" House asked.

Wilson smiled. "You're worried about her because you care about her."

"Of course, she's my friend."

"House, that's not it. You're in love with her."

House looked at the ground, refusing to answer him. Finally, he said, "Help me get her to bed."

The two of them managed to get her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed.

"I can take it from here." House told him.

"Are you going to be alright?"

House nodded. Wilson touched him on the shoulder. "Do you want me to pick up anything for her? I know she's been away, so there's probably no food in the house."

"Yeah. Get some orange juice, bread, oh, you know what she'll need."

"Okay, no problem." Wilson walked out of the bedroom and a few seconds later, House heard the front door open and close.

House looked at the woman lying on the bed. He figured he should make her more comfortable. He took her shoes off and unbuttoned her clothing. Then he laid on the bed beside her and watched her sleep.

What the hell was wrong with him? He knew this was the flu. If this patient was in the clinic, he would have told her to get lots of rest, drink plenty of liquids and she'd be fine in a few days.

Yet he had panicked when he saw her. He couldn't admit it to Wilson, but he'd been terrified when he couldn't wake her. The thought that something was seriously wrong with her scared him to death.

Did that mean he was in love with her? Maybe it was time to stop lying to himself.

Bob slowly opened her eyes. She knew she'd been asleep for a while, but she still felt exhausted. She heard snoring beside her and turned her head slightly to see House sleeping beside her.

She was more alive than she'd been when she'd stumbled into the house, but she still felt like she'd been run over by a Mack truck. She wanted to go to the bathroom, but she didn't have the energy to rise.

She lay there and wondered how House had gotten here and how she'd gotten to bed. She closed her eyes again, wanting to sleep some more, but she was tired of sleeping. She sighed.

"How do you feel?" she heard the voice beside her say.

"Like shit." She said. "But I'm alive. I think."

He sat up and put his hand on her forehead. He could feel that the fever had broken.

"What happened?" She asked him. "Why are you here?"

"Someone had to make sure you didn't die alone."

She looked scared. "Why? What's wrong with me?"

"Relax, it's the flu. You'll be fine."

She took a deep breath. "Well, that's good. But thank you for coming and taking care of me."

"No problem. And I have ulterior motives."

"What?"

"I need you to get your strength back." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She giggled. "Well, I am feeling much better, but don't think I'm up for that just yet. I'm still pretty washed out."

"I know. Oh, and by the way, just so you don't forget, I TOLD YOU SO!"

"What?"

"I told you that you would be exhausted and sick after that schedule."

"Yeah, you were right."

"I'm always right."

She just gave him a look. "I'm not commenting on that, because I don't have the strength to fight with you right now."

He saw her eyes were starting to droop. "You need to rest some more. But first, you need to drink some juice. I'll be right back."

He got out of bed and limped to the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later with a glass of orange juice.

"Where did that come from? I didn't leave any in my fridge."

"Wilson bought it. Drink it all. Do you want anything to eat?"

She shook her head, sipping at the juice. She drank about half of the glass and put it down on the night table.

"I'll finish it later. I'm really tired now."

He nodded as she lay back down. Her eyes were drifting closed when he said, "I'll be in the living room. Call me if you need me."

"Don't you have to work?"

"Nope. Called you _girlfriend_ and told her you were sick. She let me take the day off. Anyway, cured our patient last night."

She smiled. "That's good. Thank you."

"Sleep."

She nodded, but her eyes were already closed. He stood there and watched her sleep for a few minutes. He knew she was fine now. But he still kept watching her a little longer before going into the living room.


	35. PART 3 Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Bob was luckily feeling better by the time the semester started a few days later. Devon greeted her in the faculty dining room.

"I didn't know you came back. Why didn't you call me?" he asked her.

She bit her bottom lip, dreading what she had to tell him. But she knew it would be too cruel to let him think there was any future for the two of them.

"Devon, I need to tell you something."

He looked at her and then lowered his head. "Who is it?"

"What? Who is what?"

"The guy that you are now involved with. Did you meet him in Europe?"

"How did you…"

"When a woman says 'I need to tell you something', it usually means she doesn't want to see a guy anymore. And it's usually because she's met someone else. So, who is he? A museum director? A European prince?"

She gave him a wry smile. "Neither of those. It's Greg."

He looked at her strangely. "Wait, are you talking about your friend? The guy you've known since college?"

She nodded.

"But you've been away. How did …"

"He followed me to Tuscany and we, sort of, got together."

He shook his head. "It figures. You've known the guy forever and nothing. You start seeing me and suddenly, he's hitting on you. Roberta, don't you think that's a little weird? Maybe he was just reacting to you dating someone."

"He was. But that's not all it was. This has been building for a really long time. And it's something I've wanted for a long time. I just didn't think he …well, anyway, he did. He does."

He stared into her eyes. "Are you really happy about this?"

She smiled then. "Yes, I am. You should meet him."

"I don't think so."

"No, really. I think the two of you would get along."

"Roberta, do you think I really want to meet the guy that you're involved with instead of me?"

She suddenly got an idea. "Well, I'm going to have a party on Labor Day. I really want you to come."

"No."

"Devon, please. You're my friend. I hope you will remain my friend, even if I'm involved with Greg. It's important to me that you get along with him."

He saw the pleading on her face. He knew it was a mistake, but he couldn't refuse her. "Okay, fine, I'll come."

"That's great!" Now all she had to do was convince House that he should attend a Labor Day party.

***************************************************************************

"No way." He said later as he sat back on her sofa with a beer in hand. "The only parties I attend are the two person kind." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Fine." She said, "Don't come. Devon is going to be there. I'm sure he'll help me out."

He glared at her.

She made phone calls and invited Wilson and Cuddy, as well as two women from the faculty that she'd gotten friendly with. Then she planned a simple menu of beef and chicken kebobs, rice pilaf and a big green salad. She added few burgers to it as well, just in case. She bought beer, wine and soda and made a huge fruit salad. Lisa offered to bring dessert, so she didn't worry about that.

Labor Day was hot and humid, but there was shade in her little backyard and a bit of a breeze, so she went on with her plan to have the party outside.

House had been busy at the hospital for the last few days, so she hadn't seen him or had a chance to talk to him further about the party. He'd called her the night before Labor Day to tell her that the patient was cured, but he was exhausted and was crashing. She told him to sleep well and didn't mention the next day's gathering.

Cuddy arrived first, with a New York cheesecake and a box full of pastries. She bustled around, helping Bob get everything ready. Wilson followed with his date, a nurse from the hospital who seemed very nice. When Devon arrived, he seemed almost reluctant to be there, but Bob ushered him into the yard and introduced him to Wilson.

"Oh," he said, "I thought you were Greg."

"Oh, God, no." Wilson told him. "Once you meet him, you'll never forget him."

"So why isn't he here now? Roberta's having a party, he should be helping her."

Wilson didn't want to tell the guy that House wasn't exactly the helping sort of person. "He just finished a serious case and he's exhausted."

Devon nodded, then turned to watch a lovely brunette come out of the house carrying a tray of veggies and dip.

"Wow, who's that?"

Wilson smiled. "That's Lisa Cuddy. She's my boss. And Roberta's friend."

Bob saw Devon's eyes following Cuddy and she smiled. Just as she'd planned. She pulled him over to where Cuddy was arranging the snacks.

"Lisa, I'd like you to meet my colleague, Devon Miles. Devon, this is my friend Lisa Cuddy."

Cuddy smiled at the good-looking man and said, "It's nice to meet you, Devon."

"The pleasure's mine."

Bob slipped away, letting them get to know each other. She was making sure the women she worked with had drinks when she heard a distinctive voice.

"Let the festivities begin. Greg House has arrived."


	36. PART 3 Chapter 23

Chapter 23

All eyes turned to the new arrival. Wilson lowered his head and shook it. Cuddy rolled her eyes. But Bob, being the person she was, went to him.

"Oh, Greg, I'm happy you were able to come." She tried to play it down, since she knew he didn't like PDA's.

"Is everyone here?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded and he grabbed her and kissed her hard on the mouth.

When they broke apart, she hissed at him. "You are such a child. No actually, you're an old hound dog, marking your territory."

"Just so long as the other dogs don't go sniffing around my territory."

She just shook her head and led him into the yard to meet everyone. When they got to Devon, the two men eyed each other warily.

"Greg, this is my colleague, Devon Miles. Devon, this is Greg House."

Devon smiled tightly. "Dr. House, it's… nice to finally meet you. Roberta's spoken about you often."

"Hello, Di-" House felt Bob elbow him. "Devon." He said with a smirk. But underneath the smirk, he was eyeing the younger man. He was George Clooney handsome, tall and athletic looking. Jealousy flared even more.

"I'd like this to not be awkward. Obviously, Roberta has chosen you. And we had really only started to date. I hope you don't mind if we continue to be friends?"

Bob interrupted before House could say something snarky. "I choose who I am friends with, not Greg. We are friends, Devon, and we will continue to be so."

"Right." House said. "And I gave her permission to say so."

She glared at him. Devon eyed the two of them warily, then excused himself and walked away.

Bob turned to House. "Stop being an ass. Oh, wait, I should say, stop being yourself."

"Do you want me to put on an act?"

"For today, yes. Pretend that you're a normal human being with manners and good sense."

"Normal's overrated and manners are for wusses."

She blew out a breath. "Fine, Greg. Be yourself. Be a jerk. Make sure my friends hate you. But remember, I do intend to keep seeing them, so if they don't want to be around you, then that's less time I spend with you. And less 'diddling' too."

He gave her a look, but she ignored him and walked back into the house.

In the kitchen, she saw Cuddy getting some ice out. She saw Bob's face and said, "What did House do?"

"Just being himself."

"Oh, God, who was he being himself to?"

"Devon."

Cuddy looked interested. "So, tell me about Devon."

Bob tilted her head and looked at her friend. "You like him?"

"Well, let's see, he's handsome, charming, great body, killer smile, uh, what do you think?"

Bob chuckled.

"Only, would it bother you? I mean you were dating him."

"Not at all. I really wasn't actually dating him. We went out, but we were just friends. It was always Greg for me. You know that."

Cuddy nodded. "So it would be okay if I…"

"Go for it!"

She did. By the end of the party, Cuddy and Devon had made plans to meet for a drink in a few days. Bob was thrilled. She felt a lot better about having to stop dating Devon, if he moved on to someone else. And who better than her girlfriend who needed a love interest?

House saw Wilson was standing by himself, so he made his way over to his friend.

"So where did the new future ex-Mrs. Wilson go?"

Wilson rolled his eyes. "She's just a friend. We've had dinner once or twice. Roberta told me to bring a date."

"Yeah and Bob's my 'friend' too and you wouldn't believe the things that we do."

"I really don't want to hear that. Beth is a friend. She works in Pediatrics and we've talked about the kids. That's it."

"Uh-uh. You don't bring someone from work to a party where other people from work will be unless you have more on your mind than food. "

Just then, Beth returned to his side. She was blonde, a few years younger than Wilson with a pleasant face. While not gorgeous, she was petite and nicely put together.

She smiled at House. "You must be Dr. House. James has told me about you."

"Don't believe him." House said. "It's a lot bigger than he says. He's just jealous."

Beth looked confused.

"Ignore him. He's an idiot." Wilson told her. "Come on, let's go get some food."

He led her away and House called after them. "Right, food. Is that the new euphemism for sex?"

"I thought you two were friends?" She asked Wilson.

"It's a complicated relationship."

The rest of the party proceeded with few incidents. House spent most of it harassing Wilson and his date or teasing Cuddy. But for the most part, people ignored him.


	37. PART 3 Chapter 24

_**A/N: Sorry, folks, but you knew this had to happen.**_

Chapter 24

Once everyone had gone and Bob had cleaned up the dishes and taken out the trash, she joined House where he sat on the sofa finishing up a bowl of snacks.

"Well, that was a nice party."

House shrugged.

"Didn't you think it was nice?"

"Whatever."

"You didn't think it was nice?"

"It was a party. There were people. There was food. It was fine."

She stared at him for a few moments, then left the room. When she didn't return, he had a feeling she was pissed about something.

"Bob." He called out. "Come here."

She ignored him. He sighed. "Come on, Bob, come here. Talk to me."

Silence.

"Crap." He said under his breath. "Come on, Bob, my leg hurts. Don't make me walk in there."

"Eat shit!" Bob called out from the bedroom.

"Crap." He muttered again, then pulled himself up from the sofa and limped into the bedroom.

She was going through her closet, choosing outfits for the week and she ignored him when he came in and sat on the bed.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"Nothing." She said in a flat voice.

He sighed. "Right. So you just offered me shit for dinner because it's organic?"

When she continued to ignore him, he tried again. "Look, obviously I said something to piss you off. But if you don't tell me what, I may do it again."

She looked at him then, daggers in her eyes. "This was the first goddamned party I have ever given in my home, hell, in my life. First, you act like you're not interested in coming, then you show up late and act like an ass all day. And when I ask you about the party, you act like it's no big deal. Well, it's a big deal to me!"

He stared at her, amazed at her outburst. "What did I do wrong?"

"God, you are infuriating! Did it ever occur to you that this might be important to me? You've had a home for the last twenty years. I haven't. You have friends – if you want them. I never had the chance to make any, except for you.

"So now, I finally have my own home and friends to invite and a boyfriend that I want them to meet. And what do you do? You barely make it and set out to alienate all of my friends and your friends too for that matter. Well, if that is how you want to behave, why don't you just go home?"

"Fine." He told her. "I will."

He limped out of the bedroom and headed for the front door. He opened it and was about to leave, but as he started out, he stopped. She was right – he had acted like a jerk. He couldn't admit it to her, but he also couldn't leave like this with her angry at him.

He closed the door and, slowly, he limped back to the bedroom, where he saw that she had stopped looking through her clothes and was sitting on the bed with her back to him. He heard soft snuffles.

Damn, she was crying. Bob never cried. He never even saw her shed a tear when her father died. But he had made her cry.

"Bob." He said softly.

She turned at the sound of his voice, but then turned away again, unwilling to let him see her tears.

"I thought I told you to leave."

He took a deep breath. God, how was he going to do this? "I'm sorry." He said in a whisper.

She put her head down. "You don't have to apologize, Greg. I should have known this wasn't going to work. We're friends who have sex. I can't expect it to be anything more than that."

He frowned. Is that what she thought? If so, then…"Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm an idiot who thought…oh, never mind."

He went to the bed and sat beside her. He put his finger under her chin, turned her face towards him and asked, "What did you think?"

"Never mind!"

"Did you think I was in love with you?" he asked softly.

She closed her eyes and tried to turn her head away, but he held it in place. "Is that what you thought?"

"I told you, I'm an idiot. I should have known better."

"Yes, you should have."

"Don't worry, Greg, we can go on as we were. I won't expect anything more from you."

He shook his head. "Nope. We can't."

"What?"

"We can't go on as we were. Not anymore."

"Why not?"

His blue eyes were intense as he said, "Because I **AM** in love with you."

**_A/N: GOTCHA!_**


	38. PART 3 Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"What did you say?" Bob asked him.

"Are you going to make me say it again?"

She shook her head. "No. Because you're not in love with me. You're my friend and you love me because of that. But you're not **IN** love with me."

"Whew, well, thanks for straightening that out for me. I've been under the impression that I'd fallen in love with the woman I'm sleeping with. But now that you've cleared that up…"

The tears were starting to pool again. "Don't tease me Greg! This is much too important to me."

His blue eyes sparkled when he looked at her. "Why is it so important to you?"

"Because, I…" she couldn't get the words out.

"Say it. Please."

Her voice was the barest whisper. "Because I love you."

He smiled. "That's my girl."

She wasn't smiling. "Stop it. You're playing games with me and I can't –"

"I'm not playing games. I love you. And not as your best friend. As a man for a woman."

She stared at him intently, trying to read his mind and his meaning. "You really mean it?"

"Yeah, I really mean it."

She started to cry again.

"Ah, shit," he said, "What did I say now?"

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. These are happy tears."

He rolled his eyes. "Women are so annoying. How the hell does a man tell the difference between happy and unhappy tears?"

She put her arms around his neck. "All you really have to know is whether or not the woman wants to be with you. And then you just hold her."

"I can do that." He said as he held her.

They stayed that way for a few moments, just holding each other and enjoying the feeling of being in love.

Into his shoulder, she murmured, "I can't remember a time when I wasn't in love with you. I just never believed you would be in love with me."

He chuckled lightly, then took a deep breath and said, "I really am sorry about acting like a jerk today. I should have realized how important the party was."

She pulled away from him and looked at him, utter amazement on her face. She couldn't speak.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

It took a few moments for her to find her voice. "I thought hearing you say that you're in love with me would be the most amazing thing I ever heard. But I just figured out that it's not."

He stared at her quizzically.

"I just heard Greg House apologize! I think I'm in shock."

He gave her a withering look. "Do you think you're funny?"

"No, I told you, I'm in shock."

"Oh, you're in shock, are you?" he said leaning into her and putting his face close to hers.

She started giggling. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think?" he said as he pushed her back on the bed.

"I think that because you told me you love me, you think you can have your way with me."

" 'Have my way with you?' What is this, the 1890's?"

She giggled again, then said in a high voice, "Oh, sir, please, be gentle with me. I'm just an innocent girl."

"Not for long."

He pushed her back on the bed and started moving on top of her. Before long, their clothes were off and he was inside her.

It was the first time in a long, long time he knew the joy of being in love when he was making love.


	39. PART 3 Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The fall weather brought a cooling to everything in Princeton – except the passion between House and Bob. This year seemed even better to Bob. Since it was her second year, she was more relaxed as a teacher and having House in love with her made everything better.

House thought the best part was waking up next to Bob – that is after the falling asleep next to her. This was something he'd missed. When he and Stacy had been together, it had been wonderful waking up to someone beside him. Even towards the end, knowing she was there always made it a little more bearable and when she left, it was the thing that made him realize how alone he was. Not that he'd ever admit it to anyone, but it was a secret thrill that he enjoyed.

He and Bob spent most nights together, either at her house or his apartment. Some nights if he was working late or if she went out with her friends, they didn't end up sleeping together. And the mornings after those nights, he did not like.

When they did wake up together, he always tried for a little something in the morning and if time wasn't tight, she'd comply and they'd squeeze in a quickie before work. Even if she couldn't, she'd be sure to give him a deep kiss and caress before getting out of bed.

On weekends, they'd spend a lot more time at it and some days, wouldn't get out of bed at all except for the bathroom or food. Not that they made love the entire time. They'd watch TV or talk or just be together.

House would complain to her, because he knew he had to – he couldn't look like he'd gone soft, but in reality, he cherished their time together no matter what they did.

"I'd like you to help me." Bob said to House one evening.

"Sure." He said. "I can scratch that itch for you…if you know what I mean." He added suggestively.

"No, that's not what I want. At least not right now." She said with a grin. "No, I wanted to know if you could help me with my book."

He looked at her oddly. "I'm not much of a writer."

"No, but you are a doctor."

"That's what everyone tells me. Frankly, I don't know why they think so, but hey, if they pay me for being one, who am I to complain?"

She ignored his quip. "What I need is help with some medical aspects of my story. I'm hopeless when it comes to medicine. I've wanted to add interesting medical stuff for Dr. Jeff to do, but I never wanted to sound stupid. Do you think you could help me provide some interesting medical cases that would fit in with my mystery?"

He thought about that, then shrugged. "I guess I could."

She outlined her latest mystery and how she wanted to use the medicine and he started spouting off ideas of illnesses that would work with it.

She was amazed at how quickly he was able to come up with them, but she shouldn't have been. She knew how brilliant he was. She took notes and wrote down the ones she liked.

When he finished, she sat back and said, "This is great! It will add so much to the books. One of the things the critics have said is that the medical stuff is weak. They would like to see more of what Dr. Jeff could do. This will really help."

"But the critics like the books?"

"For the most part, yes. There are some negative reviews, but they are mostly either small things that they don't like or just some overly negative critics, who complain about everyone's books."

"What about the sexy parts? Do they like them?"

"Well, the critics that like that sort of thing like them. But the readers really like them."

She saw a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"What's the matter?" she asked him.

"I have an idea. Something I've been thinking about for a while."

"What?" she asked warily. You had to be careful when Greg House had an idea. It could fall anywhere between great or stupid and usually ended up at weird.

"Get one of your books with a really good smut scene."

"Why?" she demanded.

"Just do it. Trust me, this will be fun." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

With a good deal of trepidation, she went to her bookshelf and, after a short perusal of the titles, selected one of the books.

"Find the scene." He told her.

She leafed through the book until she found the page she wanted.

"Okay, I have it."

"Good. Now read to me."

"What?"

"You're going to read it to me and I'm going to do everything to you that good old Dr. Jeff does to Sam."

"Greg, I don't think…"

"Exactly right, don't think. Just do what I say. This will be fun."

She started to read: " 'Jeff put his arms around Sam and held her close to him.' "

House went to her and did just that.

"'He kissed her neck, trailing the kisses down to her shoulder. Then…' "

She stopped and turned the page.

"Um, we need to go to the bedroom." She told him.

"Is that what it says? And why did you turn the page?"

"It's not important. They are in the bedroom for the next part."

"But how did they get there?"

"It's not important."

He pulled the book out of her hand and turned back to the previous page. "'Jeff picked her up, carried her to the bedroom and gently deposited her on the bed.'"

He closed the book and handed it back to her.

"Guess it was a stupid idea. I can't do what old Jeff can."

"Greg, that's not the important part of the scene."

"Forget it." He limped to the sofa to sit down.

She sat beside him. "Jeff is a fictional character on paper. He can't make love to me. And even if he existed, I'm not in love with him. I'm in love with you and you're the only one I want to have sex with. And I can walk to the bedroom just fine."

"But you wrote that Jeff carried her to the bedroom. Must mean that's what you want."

"No, it's what the readers want. I wrote the scene to please the readers. If I'd known I was going to act it out with you, believe me, I would have written it differently. Do you want me to write a new scene for us?"

He looked at her and saw the sincerity in her eyes. "Maybe later. But for now, maybe we can still make this one work."

She smiled, picked up the book and headed for the bedroom. He followed and when he got there he saw her sitting on the bed, with her back against the headboard.

"Okay," she said, opening the book, "Here we go: 'Jeff laid her back against the headboard and lifted her shirt up and off.'"

House followed directions and soon her shirt was on the floor.

"'Then he reached under her bra and touched her nipple', ahhhh."

"Does it say 'ahhhh'?"

She shook her head.

"Keep reading." he told her.

"'He reached behind and unhooked her bra, then slipped it off. His lips trailed kisses from her neck down to belly, stopping at each nipple to, UHHH!, kiss them as well.'"

"No adding anything."

"'His tongue dipped into her belly button' – no, you know that makes me crazy!"

"Then you shouldn't have written it."

"'He moved further down, lowering her pants and panties as he went. He alternated between little licks and kisses as he made his way to her core.'"

His tongue and lips did as she instructed.

"'But instead of going for the gold, he began kissing and licking the inside of her thighs,' oh, Greg!"

He lifted his head. "Wow, imagine it saying 'Greg' in the book as if the author knew I'd be here listening to it."

She glared at him. "You son of a bitch, don't you dare stop!"

"Then keep reading. I can't do anything unless instructed."

"'He flicked his tongue lightly over the tops of her thighs, every now and then giving her a lick where it counted. She moaned with pleasure,' oh, God!"

"Were those her words or yours?"

"You just pay attention to what you're doing! 'Finally, to her delight, his tongue caressed her and he started flicking it in and out, bringing her to' – oh my God!"

"Please, God isn't necessary. Just call me Greg." He quipped as he watched her go over the edge. He moved up body as she squirmed under his kisses.

When he was beside her, he asked, "So?"

"Damn, I'm a good writer!"


	40. PART 3 Chapter 27

**A/N: Sorry for the delay - went away for the weekend and of course, last night was the season premiere and all I can say is WOW!**

Chapter 27

As Thanksgiving approached, Bob began to make plans. Cuddy had invited them to her house. She was cooking and had invited Devon. Rachel was almost two and she thought it would be easier for the toddler in her own environment.

Cuddy and Devon had been seeing each other regularly since Labor Day. He had already met Rachel and liked the child. He'd never had children himself, but had always wanted them. So the fact that Cuddy had a daughter was definitely not a deterrent to their relationship.

Bob was thrilled that the two of them were getting along so well. She had forced House to go on double dates with Cuddy and Devon, which he did, but did not enjoy. But after baiting Cuddy on the first one, Devon had spoken up and effectively put him down. And Bob had promised to cut him off or even cut **IT** off if he continued that, so he kept his mouth shut. Which made the dates torture for him. Still, if it meant making Bob happy, he'd do it.

And making her happy got him to agree to Thanksgiving at Cuddy's house, even though he'd prefer a quiet dinner with just her or maybe also Wilson. But she was determined to spend the holiday with her friends as well as him.

So the plans were made and House had to go along with them. He supposed he could handle dinner with Cuddy and, in reality, Devon wasn't too bad a guy. He wasn't a moron and, as a math teacher, was pretty logical. They'd actually managed to have some half decent discussions.

Of course, he couldn't admit that to Cuddy or Bob. Easier for them to think he was reluctant to spend time with the man.

They were planning on watching a football game one evening about a week before Thanksgiving, and since he had the premium sports package on his cable, they decided to stay at his place. But House was late getting home from the hospital, so she went there and started dinner.

When he came home, she smiled at him in a way that told him something was up.

"What?" he asked her.

"What what?"

"There's something. I can tell. What is it?"

"Nothing. Just, your mom called."

"Okay."

He watched her, sensing there was more to it than just the fact that his mom called. "Spill it."

"She's coming here for Thanksgiving."

"What? You invited her? Isn't it bad enough I have to spend it with your friends? Now I have my mother too?"

"I didn't! She sort of invited herself. Your aunt is going to California to spend the holiday with her son and your mom was going to be alone and she asked what we were doing and, well…"

"So you invited her!"

"What's the matter with you? Your mother is a lovely person. And you should be lucky you still have her. I wish I could spend Thanksgiving with my mom or dad."

He really couldn't answer that without getting snarky and he wasn't in the mood for an argument.

"I just don't want a big family Thanksgiving. I was forced to sit through them as a kid and I hated it. We had nothing to be thankful for. And I didn't want to sit next to my father and pretend that I did."

She went to him and put her arms around him. "But don't you see? It's different now. You're not forced to sit through them. You choose to share a meal with people you care about. And don't you think that this year we have something to be thankful for?"

He held her. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Will it really upset you to have your mother here?"

He shook his head.

"Then sit down and eat so we can watch the game."

He sat, but then thought of something. "Where is she staying?"

"With me again."

"Then you'll be staying here while she's at your house."

"Why will I be doing that?"

"Well, how am I going to bang you all over the place if my mother's there?"

"Why don't we relegate the banging to the bedroom while she's here?"

"If we have to." He grumbled.

She looked at him then. "By the way, have you told your mother about us?"

He stared at the floor and scratched his head. "Uh, not in so many words."

"Well, exactly what words did you use?"

"None."

She shook her head. "Do you want her to know?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

"I suppose you want me to tell her?"

"Thanks, honey, that'd be great!"

Blythe arrived on Monday afternoon. House had to work, but Bob only had morning classes, so she picked her up at the airport. The two greeted each other like old friends. When they arrived at Bob's house, she helped the older woman get settled in her room, then Blythe joined her in the kitchen for a cup of tea.

"Blythe, I have something to tell you that I hope will make you happy."

"What is it, dear?"

"Greg and I have started, um, I mean we're, um, he and I…"

Blythe looked perplexed at Bob's hesitation, until she had an idea.

"Roberta, are you saying that you and Greg are dating?"

"Well, yes, sort of. Actually, it's gone a little beyond that."

"How far beyond?"

Bob smiled. "We're in love."

Blythe sat back in her chair, as tears began to well in her eyes. "Oh, this is more than I could have hoped for! You and Greg? Oh, thank you, dear."

Bob laughed. "You don't have to thank me!"

A few hours later, when House arrived, Blythe ran to him and hugged him.

"Oh, Greg, this is marvelous!"

"I know. People usually react that way when I enter a room. Or, at least, they should."

"No, I mean about you and Roberta."

"Oh, that." He lowered his head, but snuck a peak at Bob who was smiling at him.

"You've made me very happy." His mother told him as he walked to the kitchen where Bob was.

"Didn't do too badly for myself." He said as he gave Bob a kiss.


	41. PART 3 Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Even though House had grumbled about it, he really didn't mind Thanksgiving at Cuddy's house. She was a good cook and she always made sure to stock his favorite beverages. Wilson was invited as well, but he came alone. Things weren't going well with the nurse, so he decided to cool it for a while.

Dinner was delicious and the conversation around the table was relaxing. Somehow, they got to memories of other Thanksgivings.

Bob recounted her holidays with her father and uncle.

"They were all men. What the hell did they know about healthy food? We ate lots of fried food and gravies. Every meal was heavy on carbs. No wonder I was huge. Green vegetables were alien entities in our house."

"Yeah, yeah," House said. "Who cares about the food? Tell them the best part."

She rolled her eyes. "The part Greg liked best was that Thanksgiving dinner was eaten in the living room while watching the football games."

"That's terrible!" Cuddy and Blythe said.

"Sweet!" Devon and Wilson said.

Bob laughed. "That's the usual reaction I get. Women think it's awful, men think it's great. But I grew up with it, so I didn't mind."

Cuddy spoke up. "We had a large family gathering. We'd always go to my grandmother's and there would be several sittings for dinner. It was great because all my cousins would be there. I loved it!"

"That must have been fun." Bob said.

"My brothers and I," Wilson began, "Would always sneak into the kitchen and steal whatever food we could. Of course, my mom knew, but it became a game every year. She'd try to hide or keep the food out of our reach, but we'd always find a way to get some. It was great."

"Terrific. Early training in petty crime." House quipped.

Devon joined in. "My parents were divorced, so my sister and I would spend Thanksgiving in New York with my father and stepmother. She did not like to cook, so we would always get all dressed up and go to dinner at some fancy restaurant. It was amazing."

Cuddy smiled at him. "That sounds lovely."

Everyone was smiling as they remembered their various Thanksgivings. Then eyes drifted towards House. But he just stared at the floor and refused to speak. There was an uneasy silence.

Finally, Blythe spoke up. "I remember one Thanksgiving that was just Greg and I. John was transferred to Germany and he had already left. Greg and I had to leave the next day, so everything was packed. I couldn't cook a turkey dinner for us so we ended up having turkey sandwiches, potato chips and root beer for Thanksgiving."

House sat up and looked at his mother. "I remember that."

"You were only about four or five. I can't imagine that you could."

"No, I definitely remember it. We ate turkey sandwiches. And you played the Beatles on your little transistor radio."

"Yes, I did. I can't believe you remember it."

"I haven't thought about that for a long, long time, but I do remember. It was the best Thanksgiving we ever had."

His eyes were lost in the memories and when he finally lifted his head, five pairs of eyes were staring at him with a mix of emotions.

"So? I enjoyed Thanksgiving when it was just me and my mom. Big surprise."

Bob looked at Cuddy, who stood up and said, "I'm going to make another pot of coffee. Who would like some?"

Everyone said they did, so she went to the kitchen and Wilson started talking about the football game. The subject changed and half an hour later, everyone headed home.

House, Bob and Blythe returned to Bob's house, where the older woman headed to her room to relax. House and Bob were sitting on the sofa flipping through TV channels.

"Guess I really know how to kill a party." House said.

"You didn't do anything."

"Right. Tell me you didn't see the pity in everyone eyes. God, I hate that crap."

"Greg, you talked about being a little boy and remembering a happy Thanksgiving, the only happy one you knew. It's natural for people to feel for that little boy."

"But it wasn't the little boy they were looking at, it was the grown-up."

"No, they weren't."

"Yes, they were."

"That would require you to actual **BE** grown-up. Do you really think you're a grown-up?"

He looked at her and saw the smile on her face. He chuckled and shook his head.

"I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me."

"I know."

"Do you feel sorry for me?"

"Nope."

"Good." He said and pulled her into his arms for a kiss.


	42. PART 3 Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Bob convinced Blythe to stay an extra week to help celebrate her birthday. Blythe agreed, but insisted on making a special dinner for her.

So, once again, it was dinner with Wilson, Cuddy and Devon. And once again House groaned and complained.

"Why do we have to get together with them again?"

"Because it's my birthday and they're my friends."

"Big deal."

She just shook her head and sighed. "You just don't get it. I know you don't care about celebrating your birthday, but I spent most of my life alone on mine. It's so nice to have friends around now. And you."

He looked at her and, realizing she was ready to get sentimental, decided to break the mood.

"Why do you even care about your birthday?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you're old."

"So are you!" she retorted.

"But you're older. Two years older."

"Only eighteen months."

"What year were you born?" he asked her.

"1957."

"What year was I born?"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"Just answer the question."

She sighed. "1959."

"What's 1959 minus 1957?"

"But you were born in June and I was born in December, so it's only eighteen months."

"Do I need to call Devon to teach you math? How many years between 1957 and 1959?"

She sighed again. "Two."

"So that would make you how much older than me?"

"You're an asshole."

"Is your hearing going?" He spoke louder. "HOW MUCH OLDER?"

"Two years, jerk."

"I rest my case. You're lucky I like older women."

"Older women my ass."

"Yes, your ass is older too. But it's okay, you're a cougar."

"Bite me! A cougar is like twenty years older."

"Well…"

"Oh, I didn't realize we were talking emotional age. You're right, I'm a lot older. Hell, I'm not a cougar, I'm a pedophile!"

He smiled and pulled her into his arms.

"You really want a birthday celebration?"

"It would be nice."

"I guess I can put up with these people one more time. But that's it for awhile!"

"Deal." She laughed.

Blythe wouldn't let Bob do a thing. She cooked a lovely roast beef dinner with roast potatoes and green beans. She also made Bob's favorite cake: German chocolate with coconut pecan frosting.

They started putting candles on it, but House interrupted.

"Better alert the fire department if you're going to put one for every year on it. It's going to set off the smoke alarms."

Everyone ignored him – as usual. They sang "Happy Birthday!" and cheered when Bob blew out the candles.

Then they presented her with gifts. Cuddy gave her a deep blue cashmere sweater.

"Oh, Lisa," she exclaimed, "It's beautiful! It's the one I was looking at when we were shopping. I love it."

Cuddy beamed.

Devon gave her a new book written about Art History that he had found at the University book store.

"I hope you don't already have it. Feel free to return it if you do."

"No, I don't have it. I just saw a review of it last week, but I didn't get a chance to look for it. Thank you!"

Wilson's gift was set of vanilla candles. He smiled sheepishly. "I remember you said you liked that scent."

"I do. It's my favorite. And they smell wonderful."

When the others had finished, Blythe gave her a small package wrapped in tissue paper.

"I'm sorry, I didn't have a box and nice wrapping for it, but I want you to have this."

Bob slowly opened the tissue to find a silver oval locket. "Blythe, this is your locket. The one you wear all the time."

Blythe nodded.

"But I can't…"

"Please, Roberta. I will never have a daughter. But you have been the closest thing to one for me."

She turned to the others. "I don't know if any of you know it, but Roberta calls me at least once a week to check up on me. She's been wonderful."

Everyone smiled and House looked at Bob in wonder. He hadn't known how she'd kept in touch with his mother and knew she talked to the woman more than he did.

"Open it." Blythe said.

Carefully, Bob opened the latch. The locket had always held House's baby picture on one side and a picture of John House on the other.

"I kept John's picture and replaced it with something else."

House's baby picture was still there, but on the other side was a picture of him from his college graduation.

"I was going to use a current one, but then I thought that was when the two of you met, so I thought…"

Bob had tears in her eyes as she put the locket on. "This is wonderful. I'm so honored that you would choose to give this to me. I'll always cherish it."

Now all the other eyes went to House.

"What?" he asked.

"Birthday gift for your girlfriend, House?" Wilson said.

"I give her a gift every night, if you know what I mean." He leered.

"Greg! Don't be crude." His mother told him.

Bob just smiled. "It's okay. Greg doesn't have to give me gifts to prove himself to me."

But he could see that the smile was a little forced. She was disappointed that he hadn't given her anything.

Soon after, Wilson, Cuddy and Devon went home and Bob insisted on helping Blythe clean up.

House waited until she was finished, then said to his mother, "Mom, will you be alright here alone tonight?"

"I suppose so." Blythe replied.

"Good."

"Why would she be alone? Where are we going?" Bob asked.

"You'll see." He said.


	43. PART 3 Chapter 30

Chapter 30

When they got to House's apartment, he hesitated before opening the door.

"Close your eyes." He told her.

"Why?" she asked.

"Would you stop asking questions and just do what I tell you?"

She gave him an odd look, but closed her eyes.

He led her inside and said, "Stay there."

She stood still with her eyes closed while he limped off.

After a few minutes, he said, "Okay, open them."

She did and saw the room bathed in soft light. He was standing by the stereo, holding her MP3 player in his hand. It was connected to his stereo.

"How did you get my MP3 player?"

"I have my ways. Come here."

She went to him and he handed her the player.

"I want to dance with you. Pick a song." He told her.

"Dance? But what about…?"

"Don't be choosing a jitterbug. But I can manage a slow dance."

She nodded and skimmed through the songs, finally selecting one. She hit the button and it started to play Melissa Manchester singing 'Come In Form the Rain'.

House took it and hit pause. "This song? Really?"

"I sort of think of it as our song."

He looked at her with a strange expression. "I didn't know we had a song."

"Well, not really. But, well, do you remember the first thing I ever said to you?"

"No."

"Do you remember that night? When you came to the house looking for that bitchy girl?"

"Sure."

"Do you remember it was raining?"

"Of course."

"Well, I said 'come in from the rain'. And you did. And that was the beginning. When I first heard this song, I just thought of that, so it sort of became our song."

"Ok-ay." House said slowly, but turned the player on anyway.

He pulled her into his arms and started moving slowly around the room as Melissa sang:

_Well, hello there, good old friend of mine_

_You've been reaching for yourself for such a long time_

_There's so much to say, no need to explain_

_Just an open door for you to come in from the rain_

_It's a long road, when you're all alone_

_And a man like you will always choose the long way home_

_There's no right or wrong, I'm not here to blame_

_I just want to be the one who keeps you from the rain, from the rain_

_And it looks like sunny skies _

_Now that I know you're alright_

_Time has made us older and wiser_

_I know I am_

_And it's good to know my best friend has come home again_

_Cause I think of us like an old cliché_

_But it doesn't matter, cause I love you anyway_

_Come in from the rain_

When the song ended, they just held each other for a moment.

"I never really thought much about that song before." House said. "But it's not bad."

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, then lifted her head and kissed him.

"Should we adjourn to the bedroom now?"

"In a second." He pulled away from her and went over to the fireplace where he picked up a small package. He handed it to her and she saw that it was professionally gift-wrapped.

"Greg, you didn't have to buy me a present."

"Of course I did. You know it, I know it, they all knew it. Do you really think anyone would let me hear the end of it if I didn't?"

"I don't want you to buy me a present because other people say you should."

"I know. And do you really think I'd give you something just to make them happy?"

She shook her head. "No, you wouldn't."

"Okay. So open it."

She looked at him, but he was staring at the floor. She carefully removed the paper to see a small square jeweler's box. When she lifted the lid, she saw a gold charm bracelet. It was a double link chain with ten charms.

"Oh, Greg, it's lovely!"

"Look at the charms. In order." He pointed to the first one. It was an artist's palette.

"For your love of art." He told her. Then he pointed to the next one. It was Nefertiti's head. "And your love of history. The two of them are Art History."

"That's right. How lovely." She touched the next one. "A bird?"

"A blue jay. Specifically, a Johns Hopkins blue Jay."

She laughed. "Our mascot! Oh, and the airplane is next. My job, traveling."

"Yep." He touched the open envelope. "That's our correspondence through the years."

She nodded. "Sure. But what's this square one?"

"A scale. Your weight loss."

"Makes sense. And this one?"

"A typewriter for when you started writing and next is the book." He pointed to a charm depicting an open book.

"And this little house?"

"A school house. You're a teacher now."

"And the last one? This heart?"

"Look at it." He said, avoiding her eyes.

She looked at the gold heart and saw that etched into it was:

_I love you._

_Greg_

"Oh, Greg! This is so…wonderful!"

He still avoided looking at her, clearly embarrassed by his own sentimentality.

"Okay, so you like it. Good. That should keep the vultures off my back."

She went to him then and put her arms around him. "I love it. And I love you."

"So on to the sex!" he said, trying to break the sappy mood.

She giggled and took his hand, to lead him to the bedroom. She sat on the bed and he started kissing her. He pulled her sweater up and over her head. He reached behind and removed her bra. He kissed each nipple and started to remove his own clothing when she stopped him.

"No, wait. This is my birthday. I want something special." She told him.

"What?"

"Stand over there."

He limped a few feet from the bed.

"Okay, now take your clothes off – slowly."

He gave her an odd look, but the anticipatory look in her eyes made him shrug.

"If that's what you want, my lady, that's what you shall have."

He started unbuttoning his shirt, one button at a time, doing each one very slowly. When it was unbuttoned, he slipped it slowly off his shoulders. When it was off, he twirled it a few times before tossing it across the room. She laughed.

Then he lifted his t-shirt, inch by inch, revealing his chest and the hair on it. When it was over his head, he gave it a twirl and tossed it as well. He toed off his shoes and kicked them aside. Then he unbuckled his belt and slowly slipped it out of the trousers. He undid the button and slowly pulled down the zipper. Then using his hands, he inched them down his legs. When they reached the floor, he stepped out of them. He stood there in his boxers which were already tented.

"Come here." She said huskily. "I want to take those off."

He returned to the bed and she pulled them slowly off, her hand caressing his erection as she did. He climbed on top of her and kissed her hard.

When their lips broke apart, she said huskily, "Fuck me, Greg. Fuck me hard!"

He was happy to comply. He pushed into her and began moving swiftly in and out, increasing the rhythm with each thrust.

She moaned, "Oh, God, you feel so good!"

"So do you, baby, so do you." He ground out.

As he put more and more effort into his thrusts, she started to build and so did he. With one last thrust, they both fell over the edge.

Afterwards, she lay nestled in his arms, her head on his chest.

"That was a wonderful birthday. I love you so much." She said sleepily.

He held her closer. "Don't ever leave me." He whispered.

"I won't." she murmured as she fell asleep.

But she probably will, he thought. Everyone does. I'll do something stupid or mean and she'll give up on me too.

But for the time being she was here and he was going to treasure every moment.


	44. PART 3 Chapter 31

Chapter 31

As Bob had promised, she kept Christmas low key. Christmas Eve was just the two of them. After opening gifts – she gave him some vintage record albums and he gave her a designer handbag that she'd been hinting at – they shared some Christmas joy in front of the fireplace. Actually, they shared a lot of Christmas joy.

On Christmas Day, Wilson came over with some Chinese food – his treat. They played Trivia Pursuit and House beat everyone, though Bob came very close.

For New Year's, Bob and House went to New York for a few days. They stayed at the Plaza, but decided to forego the cold and the crowds on Times Square. While the ball dropped on TV, they were naked in their lush bed seeing the year in the only way you really should.

The next semester began and, as Bob's class was very popular, she was convinced to teach a night class twice a week that was filled with a lot of older students. She hadn't been sure how that would be, but she found them very interested and eager to learn.

On her first night class, there were three women that came to class together and were very obviously friends. After class, they came up to introduce themselves to Bob.

There was a short redhead named Sally, who was very bubbly and outgoing. There was also Ellen, a tall woman with dirty blonde hair. And finally, a woman with salt and pepper hair and a serious attitude called Betty.

Bob greeted them warmly and told them she hoped they enjoyed the class.

After the next class, they came to her again and asked if they could buy her a cup of coffee. Bob looked at them warily, but decided they were harmless, so she accompanied them to the campus coffee shop.

Once there, they looked at each other conspiratorially and then finally, Sally said, "We have a confession to make."

Bob sat up straight. "And what would that be?"

"We know that you're Marlena Wlaters."

"Oh." Bob was shocked. "How do you know that?"

Ellen answered. "Sally's cousin works for your publisher. But that's really why we wanted to take this class. We just love your books."

"And we got really interested in Art History because of them." Betty added. "We've been to all the local museums and even to New York to check out stuff that you wrote about. So taking this class was just perfect for us."

"Well, ladies," Bob said. "I'm very flattered. But I expect you to be serious about the class. It wouldn't be fair to the other students if you're not. And you would be wasting my time as well."

"Oh, we're serious!" Ellen said. "We really love Art History."

"Alright then." Bob said.

"So, would you mind if we asked you a few questions about your books?"

Bob shrugged. "I guess not."

"Did you really work as a museum curator?" Sally asked.

"No, but I did work for the Smithsonian procuring art."

Betty rolled her eyes, "Sally, she told us that the first night of class."

"Oh, right." Sally said.

"Well, I'm going to ask the question that everyone wants to ask," Ellen said. "Is Dr. Jeff real?"

Bob smiled. "Well, not exactly. But he is based on my friend."

"And are you and he…involved?"

"Actually, yes we are."

"And is he a doctor?"

"Yes, he is. But I'm not going to say any more about him. He deserves his privacy."

"Just tell me, does he have blue eyes?" Sally wanted to know.

"Oh, yes. Gorgeous blue eyes."

The three women giggled.

When Bob told House about the women, he was not as happy as she was.

"Great. You have stalkers. Three of them."

"They're not stalkers. They're fans."

"At best, they're groupies. At worst, stalkers."

"Don't be silly. They're fans. And I am extremely flattered. I've been in other countries for all the years my books came out. I never really had the opportunity to interact with fans. This is fun."

"You're going to be sorry, you'll see."

"You're just a cynical old poop."

"Poop? I am not a poop."

She smiled and put her arms around him. "Yes, you are. But you're my poop, so it's okay."


	45. PART 3 Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The cold January weather made lovers cling even more and by the time Valentine's Day arrived, passions were high. Bob was excited. She had never spent Valentine's with a man she truly loved (her ex-husband notwithstanding, as she knew that was not true love, just a miserable mistake).

House wanted to just stay home and have sex, but Bob insisted that they go out. She really wanted to do up Valentine's right. But on the day before, House told her that he'd (conveniently) forgotten to make a reservation.

"We'll never get one now. Sorry, guess we'll have to stay home.'

"Don't worry, I went ahead and made one at Camillo's Café."

He was perplexed. "How'd you get one there? That place is booked months in advance."

"I know. That's why I booked it in November."

He gave her a strange look. "You knew then that we would go to dinner on Valentine's?"

She shrugged. "Well, I figured if we'd broken up by now, I could always cancel. They wouldn't have any trouble filling it."

He shook his head. "You're amazing."

"I know."

House was smart enough to realize that even though he'd dropped the ball on dinner reservations, he'd better do the Valentine's gift thing or he'd never get any again. So he arrived at her house wearing a suit and tie and carrying a dozen red roses.

Bob was like a little girl when she saw them.

"I've never received flowers from a man before! They're beautiful."

She kissed him long and hard. "I love you. And you look so handsome.'

Oh yeah, he thought, I'm in like Flynn.

Dinner at the upscale Italian restaurant on Harrison Street was wonderful. They started with the house antipasto for two, filled with all sorts of wonderful things.

For their entrees, House chose the ten ounce Angus beef filet mignon (black pepper crusted, seared and pan roasted, served with polenta and sautéed broccoli rabe). Bob selected the Cannelloni di Pesce (pasta stuffed with shrimp and scallops, baked in the oven with tomato sauce and beschiamella sauce). They each shared a bit of their dinners with the other and House gave Bob the broccoli rabe.

They shared slices of rich homemade cheescake and sinfully decadent chocolate cake with their cups of espresso.

As they drove home, Bob was supremely happy. Could things get any better? She was with the man she had loved almost forever. And he loved her. They were sharing a perfect, romantic Valentine's Day. And they were heading home to have some awesome sex.

The sex was extremely awesome, as usual, as House was quick to point out.

"Man, that was fucking awesome! We should have done this twenty years ago."

Bob was drifting off as she spoke. "Back then, you'd only sleep with the fat girl when you were drunk."

He chuckled, kissed her, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

He woke sometime later. Something was nagging at him. What had she said? Something about sleeping with the fat girl when he was drunk? What was she talking about?

He lay awake for awhile trying to get back to sleep, but her words bothered him. He wanted to wake her up, but knew she'd be pissed if he did.

He got up and went to the bathroom, then to the kitchen. He was still full from dinner, but he still managed to munch on some of her whole grain pretzels. He drank some water, then went back to bed.

He tossed and turned a few times and then heard her say, "What's up?"

"Are you awake?"

"No, I'm talking in my sleep. How am I supposed to sleep when you're doing a mambo in bed?"

"Well, then if you're awake, I have something to ask you."

She groaned. "Can't this wait until morning?"

"No. You said I'd only sleep with the fat girl when I was drunk."

"Did I? I don't remember." She hedged.

"Yes, you did. When did I sleep with a fat girl when I was drunk?"

"If I said it – which I don't remember – it didn't mean anything."

"You did say it and you wouldn't have said it if it didn't mean anything. As far as I know, I never slept with a fat girl. So why would you say that? Unless you know of a time I was drunk and did sleep with a fat girl. Do you?"

"I don't know."

"Do you?" he insisted.

"Greg, it's the middle of the night. I really don't want to talk about this right now."

He rose from the bed and stood beside it. "I don't care about the fucking time! When did I sleep with the fat girl?"

She got up as well and turned on the bedside lamp, then picked up a t-shirt that was lying on the chair and slipped it over her head. Then she sat on the chair.

"I really wish you would drop this."

"Do you know me at all?"

She sighed. "The night before you went to Michigan."

He looked confused. "I slept with a fat girl? I don't remember that."

"Well, you did."

"Who did I sleep with?"

She took a deep breath and tried to avoid looking at him. But finally, she looked up and said, "Me. You slept with me."


	46. PART 3 Chapter 33

Chapter 33

He stared at her, then shook his head. "No, of course I didn't."

"Yeah, you did."

"How…no, I couldn't have."

"You were drunk. Hell, we both were. But you were much worse than me."

"Okay, I remember being drunk. Very drunk. I had a killer hangover the next day. Kept drinking coffee and popping aspirin all the way to Michigan."

"Do you remember how sometimes when you were too wasted to make it up to your room, you'd crash in mine?"

"Yeah, I did that a lot."

"Because you got drunk a lot. Well, you did it that night too."

"Right. I did wake up in your room. Had to crawl upstairs to finish packing before I left."

She didn't say anything.

"Are you telling me that I…that we…?"

She nodded.

He tried to think, to remember. "But I wouldn't…I couldn't."

"Well, you were just drunk enough that you would, you could and you did."

He pondered that for a few moments, then asked quietly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She sat back in the chair and stared at the ceiling. "It was my first time. And you didn't remember it in the morning. What was I supposed to do? No matter what I would have said, it would have been awkward."

"So you just figured not telling me would be better?" He stopped suddenly and got a scared look on his face. "Wait, you first time? Did I, uh, force you?"

"No, of course not. If I didn't want to, I would have kicked you in the nuts, you know that. I had wanted my first time to be with you years before. I had just hoped you'd have been more aware of it."

They were both silent, thinking about it. Finally, he spoke. "So one more secret you kept from me."

"When was I supposed to tell you? I didn't know whether you didn't remember or were ignoring it the next morning. So. as you started to drive to Michigan, should I have said 'Hey, Greg, it was fun having sex with you last night even though you don't remember or are choosing to ignore it?' Or in one of my letters? 'Remember the time you were drunk and fucked me?' Or how about when you came here and banged me against the wall and then left? Maybe I should have said, 'Hey, just like back in Baltimore when you fucked me and left for Michigan.' When do you think would have been the perfect time?"

He stared at her. There was an odd expression on his face. Then he picked up his clothes and started to get dressed.

"I have to go home."

"Sure, run away. That's always the answer. And what you're really good at whenever there's a problem."

He gave her a hard look and repeated, "I really have to go home."

He finished dressing while she sat there watching him. Then, in a low voice, she said, "I guess just the thought of banging a fat girl disgusts you so much that even though you don't remember, you can't deal with it. God, if I ever gain the weight back, you'll be out of here so fast, my head would spin."

His face was unreadable as he gave her one more stare, then limped out of the room.

Seconds later, she heard the front door close and she covered her face as the tears started to fall.

She cried most of the rest of the night. Sleep was a forgotten dream. But in the morning, as she got dressed, she told herself she'd cried enough tears over Greg House. If he was going to continue to be stupid and shallow and be mad at her because he had slept with her when she was fat, then screw him! She didn't need this. She didn't need him. She'd been doing just fine through the years without him and she'd do just fine again. She washed her face, put on her make-up, smiled at herself in the mirror and walked out with confidence.

Then she entered her living room and saw the roses he'd given her the night before. And she lost it once again.

Oh, God, was she screwed.


	47. PART 3 Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The next day, Bob sent Cuddy a text message, asking her to stop by if she had time. Cuddy responded that she had a board meeting, but would stop by when she was finished.

Bob answered the door with a glass of wine in her hand. Cuddy breezed in and said, "Do you have one of those for me? That meeting was brutal."

Bob nodded and went to the kitchen to pour her friend a glass.

"Oh, my God, these roses are gorgeous. Where did you get them?"

Bob avoided looking at her friend when she said, "Greg."

"House bought you flowers? Wow, I'm amazed. I didn't think he had it in him.'

"He doesn't." Bob said flatly. "We broke up."

"What?" Cuddy was amazed. "No, that can't be. He's crazy about you. Everyone knows it. Not just among our friends, but everyone in the hospital as well. He doesn't torture the nurses – or the patients- very much. He's nice to his team. He actually smiles!"

"How was he today?"

"I didn't see him today. I was locked in my office with accountants getting ready for this meeting."

Bob nodded.

"What happened?" Cuddy prodded.

Bob briefly told her about the night they'd shared before House went to Michigan.

"Wow. Well, I'm sure he was shocked, but he wouldn't break up with you because of it."

"He was disgusted. I could see it. He looked really upset. He never wanted to be with me when I was fat. I should have realized that before I got involved with him. He was only interested because I lost weight."

"That can't be true."

"It is. I knew it last night when I saw how he reacted to finding out he slept with me then. He can't even remember doing it and he's still upset."

Cuddy pondered her wine for a moment, then shook her head and said. "No. I don't believe that. House has a lot of faults. And I mean A LOT. But he's not that shallow. He never was. He would tell you if he thought you were too fat, or too stupid or whatever. But he wouldn't break up with you because of something he can't even remember doing. He wouldn't."

"Well, he did." Bob said, as she poured herself another glass of wine.

"I just can't believe this. Are you sure you didn't…"

"Whose side are you on?" Bob demanded.

"It's not about sides. You're my friend, so of course, I'm here for you. Okay, more wine and screw him."

"Yeah."

"Yeah!" Cuddy smiled at her.

"So tell me about your Valentine's Day."

"It was fine." She said, but Bob could tell she was holding back.

"What is it, Lisa? Oh, please don't tell me you and Devon broke up too!"

"No, nothing like that."

"So?"

"Well," Cuddy sighed. "He told me he was in love with me."

"Oh, Lisa, that's wonderful! And how do you feel?"

"I'm crazy about him. He's handsome, smart, funny. And he adores Rachel. I couldn't find anyone more perfect for me."

"I'm so happy for you!"

"I'm sorry I had to tell you this just when you…"

"It's alright, it's fine. I guess I always knew this would happen eventually."

"Oh, honey!"

When Cuddy got home and the babysitter left, she pulled out her phone and selected a number from her list. When the recipient answered, she said without greeting, "There's a problem."

Wilson sighed. "What has House done?"

The next evening in her night class, her trio of groupies noticed Bob's blood shot eyes and subdued attitude. Immediately after, they surrounded her.

"What's the matter?" "Didn't Valentine's Day go well?" "Are you feeling ill?"

Bob forced a smile. "It's fine, I'm fine."

"No, you're not, Marlena…I mean, Roberta. We can tell."

"We don't want you to be unhappy."

"Greg and I had a little fight, that's all. It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it. But I have a bit of a headache tonight, so if you don't mind, I'm going to go home."

The three women watched her leave.

"This isn't good. If Roberta isn't getting along with Greg, then Sam won't get along with Dr. Jeff."

"Oh, no, we can't have that! I was so looking forward to the next book. I was hoping Dr. Jeff might pop the question after the last one."

"Me too. We may have to watch this closely. And take matters into our own hands if necessary."

The other two nodded.


	48. PART 3 Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Wilson gave House a few days to think it over, before he went to House's office to confront him. House's team had just gone off to do his bidding, though he had yelled at them first and called them morons.

He sat in the chair across from the desk where House was sitting and staring into space. He didn't say anything, just sat there.

After about ten minutes, House sighed and said, "Which one of them called you?"

"Cuddy."

House nodded and continued staring at nothing.

"Don't you want to talk about it?" Wilson asked him.

"If I did, I would have been in your office before this."

"House, you can't break up with Roberta."

"Who said I broke up with her?"

"I know that you two had a fight and you stormed out. Wait, haven't I heard this story before?"

"We had a disagreement. I left to think it over."

"Yes, because we know how much you like to consider all the options before doing anything. You never just act on instinct."

"Well, since you know that, we're done here."

"House, tell me what happened."

"Doesn't matter."

"You have to do something. I know that you're in love with her. You can't just let her go."

"How do you know it's my fault?"

Wilson just gave him a disgusted look, turned and walked out of the office.

House heard the door close behind his friend and he took a deep breath. Although Wilson or Cuddy would never believe him, this time, it wasn't his fault.

He had spent as sleepless a night as Bob did when he'd gone home. The realization of what had happened, even though he didn't remember it, ate at him. He needed time to process it. He had taken that night and most of the next day. Late the following evening, he came to a decision and the next morning, he dialed Bob's number. She didn't answer.

He tried several more times that day and left messages as well. Still no answer.

Okay, he thought, she's giving me a taste of my medicine. I did this to her after we had sex that first time. That is, the second time.

Geez, he didn't know if he was coming or going. Or when he had.

That night he went to her house. She wasn't home, but he had a key, so he went inside to wait for her. He was there about a half an hour, when his cell phone rang. It was Bob.

"Hi.' He said.

"I'm outside. I'm going to drive a few blocks and come back. When I do, I want you to be gone. And I want you to leave your key."

"I just want to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"I don't understand why you're mad."

"That's too bad, but not my problem."

"Come on, Bob, let's talk about this."

"That's not my name. Please leave or I'll call the police and tell them you stole my key and broke in."

"You wouldn't do that."

"Don't test me on this, Greg. Just leave." She hung up.

He thought about staying. Or maybe hiding his bike and intercepting her when she came home. But the tone of her voice told him she was just angry enough right now to follow through and call the police. He decided it might be better to let her cool down.

He took the key off of his ring and laid it on the table. Then he left the house and rode home.

He tried again to call her, but she would not answer his calls or return his messages. He sent her emails, but they were returned undeliverable. She apparently blocked his email address.

He didn't know what to do next.

He left his office and walked to the one next door.

Wilson looked up when he entered.

"I need your help." House said.


	49. PART 3 Chapter 36

Chapter 36

One evening while Bob was home and trying to concentrate on writing, her doorbell rang. She was afraid it might be House, but her glance through the peephole showed her it was his conscience instead.

She sighed and opened the door. "James, what are you doing here?"

"I thought we were still friends?"

"Yes, but first and foremost, you're Greg's friend."

"Yes, but I'm yours too." He gave her a small smile. "Can I come in? Please?"

She opened the door and led him inside. He stood looking at her for a second before taking a deep breath.

"Roberta, you can't keep doing this."

"Yes, I can."

"You're in love with him. You told me. Hell, the whole world could see it!"

"You're right. I do love him. I probably always will."

"Then why?"

"Because it will never work. Greg didn't fall in love with me until I was thin. And when he found out that he'd slept with me when I was fat, he couldn't handle it. If I gain weight, he'll walk out. I can't live my life with that sword hanging over my head. This way I have control of the situation."

"That's ludicrous!"

"Is it? I always knew this wouldn't last. I was crazy to even start it. I've never been good at romance. I've been just fine by myself. I clung to him because I never had the opportunity to make other friends. But I have friends now. I don't need Greg. And I don't need to get hurt by him anymore."

"It's not like that. He loves you. He needs you."

"He thinks he does."

"He came and asked me to help! When have you ever known Greg House to ask for help?"

"He's like a child who lost his plaything. He can't deal with the thought that someone took it from him. If he had it back, he'd get bored. This way is best."

"Roberta, please…"

"You need to leave, James. Please tell Greg I wish him the best, but it's better if neither of you try to contact me anymore."

Wilson shook his head and left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At the end of February, Bob was still not talking to House. Cuddy tried to make sure she got together with her whenever she could to be supportive, but also to try to encourage her to talk to him.

But Bob was adamant. She would not even consider it.

"What about your promise to his mother?" Cuddy asked her.

"Please don't throw that at me. It's not fair."

"Then you've thought about that."

"Of course I have!" Bob said. "Don't you think it's bothered me? I adore Blythe and I know she'd be heartbroken if she found out."

"She doesn't know? You haven't told her?"

Bob shook her head. "I just can't bring myself to do it. And I know Greg won't tell her."

Cuddy sighed. "Roberta, you can't go on like this. You're miserable, he's miserable."

"He's always miserable."

"Not when he was with you."

"He was just a little less miserable because he was getting regular sex."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"She's not fine." Sally said. "This is serious."

"At first she said it was a little fight. But she hasn't seen him in weeks." Ellen said.

"She's miserable." Betty agreed.

"We've got to do something!" Sally cried.

"What can we do? We don't even know who he is." Betty told her.

"There must be a way to find out." Sally said. "I mean, we know from the books that she met him in college. We know that he's a doctor. And we know that Roberta went to Johns Hopkins."

"A lot of doctors graduated from Hopkins. We don't know which one he is."

"I do." Ellen said.


	50. PART 3 Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"You know who he is? How?"

"Well, I followed Roberta home one night. Just to find out where she lives."

"I thought I told you we couldn't do any of that." Betty admonished her. "We're not stalkers. If we do that stuff, we could get in trouble."

"I just wanted to see where she lives!"

"Where?" Sally asked.

"It's a cute little Victorian cottage. So adorable."

"Ooh, that's sounds lovely!"

"Focus, ladies." Betty said. "Okay, so you know where she lives. How does that translate to who he is?"

"Well, I was waiting for her to go in before I drove away and I saw this guy ride up on a motorcycle."

"Ooh, a motorcycle!"

"Yeah, it was really cool and he had a leather jacket and everything."

"Ohhh, leather!"

Betty frowned at them. "Focus!"

"When he got there, she waited for him before going in. And when he got off, he went to her and kissed her – very passionately."

"What did he look like?" Sally wanted to know.

"He was tall. I couldn't see his eyes from my place, but he did have a short beard."

"Ooh!"

"And he limped."

"Limped?" Betty asked. "Dr. Jeff doesn't limp."

Ellen shrugged. "Well, her boyfriend does."

"Then it might not be him." Betty pointed out.

"It has to be. I doubt she's involved with two guys or she wouldn't be upset about this one."

"So, how did you find out his name?" Sally was totally engrossed.

"I went back the next morning and followed him."

"Ellen, you are going to get in trouble!" Betty told her.

"I wish I could have done that. You're so lucky to not have a husband to answer to." Sally complained.

Betty glared at her. Then she asked Ellen. "So what did you find out?"

"He's a doctor at Princeton Plainsboro hospital. He pulled into a parking spot with his name on it."

"So what's his name?"

"Dr. Gregory House. I looked up the hospital directory on line. He's the head of Diagnostics. Apparently very well known. And he graduated from Hopkins.'

"Bingo!" Sally said.

"That doesn't necessarily mean…" Betty began.

"I went to the hospital and asked around – discreetly -- about him. Turns out he's a real jerk to everyone. But he's so smart and cures people that no one else can. So everyone puts up with him."

"Just like Dr. Jeff!" Sally cried. "So isn't that enough proof for you?"

Betty was silent, thinking about it. "Alright, we know who he is and where he works. We need a plan."

"Ooh, a plan!" Sally cried.

"I've got an idea." Ellen said.

Betty shook her head. "Ellen, you're beginning to scare me."


	51. PART 3 Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Sally walked through the doors of Princeton Plainsboro hospital and right to the Clinic. She went up to the nurse at the desk and smiled brightly.

"Hello." She said.

"Sign in and your name will be called." The nurse said without looking up.

"Okay, but I need to see Dr. House."

The nurse glanced up then. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because he treated my cousin and she said he was wonderful."

The nurse gave her a strange look. "Was your cousin dying?"

"Uh…"

"Because those are the only people who think House is wonderful."

"Well, yes, she was pretty sick. And he really helped her."

"Are you dying?"

"I hope not! I just really want to be treated by him."

The nurse shrugged. "It's your funeral. Just be prepared." She made a note on the sign-in sheet and told Sally to take a seat. She did and whipped out her phone.

About an hour later, the nurse called her into Exam Room 2. She went, followed a few minutes later by Ellen and Betty.

"Are you seeing him?" Ellen asked.

"I think so. I told the nurse I wanted him. So hopefully, he'll…"

She was interrupted by the exam room door opening. The three women stared as a tall man entered leaning on his cane. His blue eyes looked a little tired, but still gorgeous.

"Oh my!" Sally murmured.

The other two just stared.

"I'm Dr. House. What's the problem, Miss…" he glanced at the sheet. "…uh, Mrs. Mitchell?"

The three of them continued to stare at him, unable to speak. He looked back and forth at them, wondering what was going on.

"If the problem is laryngitis, you need some lozenges and rest. If it's something else, you'll need to let me know what."

Ellen swallowed hard, then said, "Uh, Doctor Je…uh, House, I mean…"

He frowned, then as realization struck, he said, "Oh, God, you're the stalkers."

"We're not stalkers!" Sally said indignantly. "We're fans."

"Right."

"Really, doctor, we are. And we're also friends of Mar—Roberta's."

"You don't even know her real name!" he said.

"That doesn't matter." Betty told him. "What matters is that she's unhappy and we want to help her."

"Oh, and I'm supposed to trust three nutsos who're obsessed with a fictional character."

"We're not nuts."

"We're not obsessed – exactly."

"You are stalking the creator of that character. That's obsessed. And you're in love with someone who doesn't exist. That's crazy."

The three of them just stared at him, small smiles appearing on their faces.

He eyed them warily as he started to back away. "Oh, no. You weirdos stay away from me. I'm not Jeff."

"But she based him on you. She told us."

"I am not old Doctor Jeff."

Betty stepped forward. "Look, Doctor House, I know you think we're crazy and that's okay. The important thing here is that we really want to help Roberta. She's so unhappy."

He looked at each of them and saw that they were sincere. They might be crazy, but if they could help him win Bob back, well, wasn't everyone a little bit crazy?

"What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"We thought if we could get you to talk to her, tell her how you feel, then maybe…"

He shook his head. "Won't work."

"Look, you must have some feeling for her. If you just told her…"

"Why does everyone assume it's my fault? Even people who don't know me?"

"We know that Dr. Jeff would…"

"For the last time, I am NOT your goddamned Dr. Jeff! I am Greg House. And I have been trying to talk to her for weeks. She won't listen, won't even let me say anything. She's got an idea in her head and she won't even let me try to shake it loose."

"Maybe we could help you. Maybe we could get you together so that she could listen to you."

He shook his head again. "She'd just leave."

Ellen smiled and said, "What if we kidnapped her?"

Betty was aghast. "Ellen, you are moving from petty offenses like following people to major crime! You can't just kidnap someone."

"We could go to jail!" Sally cried. "It would be wrong, wouldn't it, Dr. Je-House?"

House rolled his eyes at her slip, but didn't say anything as his mind was working. Then he shook his head. "No, it would be wrong to kidnap her."

"See?" Sally said.

"You'd have to kidnap me too." He said.


	52. PART 3 Chapter 39

Chapter 39

House was home that evening waiting to hear from his partners in crime. He knew it was risky working with three crazies who couldn't separate fantasy from reality, but really he had no other choice.

He had continued trying to get in touch with her, but she wouldn't talk to him. He knew that Cuddy had tried to change her mind to no avail. And when the king of compromise, otherwise known as Wilson, had failed as well, he knew the situation was desperate.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

He'd considered just letting it go. After all, if she didn't want him anymore, why keep beating a dead horse? Just let her go.

Because he'd never felt happier than he did when they were together. He wanted to keep on feeling that way. And he needed to be with her to do that.

He limped to the desk by the bookcase and opened the bottom drawer. It was his 'Bob' drawer. He had all the letters that she'd written him over the years, as well as the birthday cards. He knew it was silly and sentimental to save them, but he had anyway.

He smiled when he picked up the fabric in the drawer. It was her panties, the ones he had taken from her in Tuscany after they'd had sex on the hill. He'd never given them back to her and they were here. He knew that was kind of creepy, but he hadn't wanted to give them back.

At the bottom of it all was a picture. It was of the two of them back in Baltimore. She'd never seen it. He had picked up the photos at the Fotomat. God, how many years since he'd seen one of those little booths in parking lots that developed your pictures.

He had looked through them before bringing them home and when he saw this picture, he had stopped and realized he couldn't let her see it.

In the picture, Bob was laughing joyfully, truly enjoying herself. He was beside her and watching her, but the look on his face was a reflection of her joy as well as something else.

Love.

Because he had loved her back then. It wasn't something he felt comfortable telling her then. Hell, he'd had a hard enough time telling her now. Back then it was even worse.

There was so much he'd wanted. Becoming a doctor was first and foremost. Proving his father wrong was another. Breaking free of the staunch military upbringing and learning who he really was.

All of those things were important to him. He certainly hadn't planned on meeting a woman to love in all of that. And Bob wasn't exactly what he thought of as his ideal woman.

She was too much of a tomboy, too much one of the guys. But slowly, as she began to become more important to his life, he began seeing her as something more. And once she started thinking of herself as a woman, he'd noticed and realized this was a special woman.

But he couldn't afford that complication at that point in his life. So he'd kept her at arms length and stayed friends.

Still, she'd been such an integral part of his life. They lived in the same house all those years and hung out together almost exclusively. She was his drinking buddy, his sports companion, his guide.

And his savior.

Because he knew unequivocally that if it hadn't been for her, he wouldn't be a doctor today.

That day that he'd been caught cheating, he'd been quite ready to throw in the towel, give it all up and play piano in a bar somewhere.

Though he'd often wondered if he would have been able to make a go at that, he knew that even if he became a big star, it would never have brought him the satisfaction that medicine did.

But he was sure he had thrown it away with his stupidity. Bob hadn't believed that. She was the one who wrote the letters and filled out the applications. She was the one who saved his dream.

He'd repaid her by taking her virginity before he left.

Even though the primeval male inside him was stupidly happy that he'd been the first; the rational, scientific man was angry he'd done it at all and the horny teenager still existing in him was bummed that he couldn't remember it.

He'd left for Michigan thinking he should have asked her to come with him. Maybe that was his subconscious trying to tell him what had happened. Maybe it was more than that.

But he'd known what the life of an intern would be. She needed to finish her Masters and he needed to get through his internship. After that, maybe.

Then she'd gotten the Smithsonian job and then gotten married! That had been a real kick in the gut. It made him realize that either he'd waited too long or really didn't deserve her in the first place. Or both.

He'd given up on the idea of him and Bob, which was when he'd met Stacy. It had been good with her for five years. And he really believed that he was over Bob.

Seeing her once more had confused him all over again. When he finally realized that he still wanted her and that he, in fact, loved her, it was like all the pieces finally fell into place and he was where he was supposed to be.

It often made him wonder what his life would have been like if he had asked her to come with him. Maybe they'd have had kids together. He'd never really thought about being a father, not with his upbringing, but Bob would have been a terrific mother. And he wondered what would have happened if she'd been with him when the infarction occurred.

He didn't have answers to those questions. He just knew he liked what they'd found together, liked how he was with her.

Now he was lost at sea again. And he definitely didn't like that.

He'd make a deal with the devil himself to get her back. Looking at it that way, working with the stalkers didn't seem like such a bad idea.

His cell phone rang. He picked it up and heard Stalker Number One's voice. He refused to try to remember their names.

"Did you do what I told you?" he asked.

"Yes." Betty said. "What do we do now?"

"Meet me." He gave the name and address of a diner. "I'll see you in twenty minutes."

He disconnected and smiled. This was his last chance and he was going to take it.

**A/N: How many people remember Fotomats? If you do, you're as old as me -- or House! And thanks to my loyal reveiwers. You words always make me smile.**


	53. PART 3 Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"I still don't understand why we have to kidnap you." Sally said. "And how can we kidnap you if you know about it?"

"If you only kidnap Bob, she'll just be mad at me and still won't listen. If I've been 'kidnapped' too, then we're both victims. Two people being oppressed by crazed fans." He took a bite of his Reuben and washed it down with coffee.

"She'll even feel guilty that she brought this on to you." Ellen observed.

"Exactly! And then maybe we can talk and she might actually listen to me."

"But will you be able to convince her?" Betty asked him.

He looked down at his plate. "I don't know. I hope so. But if I don't tell her, there will never be a chance for us."

The three women got all gooey-eyed at that. He glanced up at them and frowned.

"I still don't get why you care so much if she and I get back together. She's still writing, isn't she? You'll still get your books."

"But it won't be the same. If she's not happy with you, Sam won't be happy with Jeff. And we need Sam and Jeff to be happy. Otherwise, that detective is going to move in on her."

"Who?" House was confused.

"Detective Rodney Stewart. A police detective that likes Sam. SOME people actually think she should be with him."

"Damn Rammies!" Ellen muttered.

"What?" House asked. "And do I want to know?"

"You see, we want Sam to be with Jeff. So we're Jammies. But this other group wants her to be with Rodney. They're the Rammies. And if you and Roberta aren't together, Sam might fall into Rodney's arms. And we can't let the Rammies win."

They were crazier than he thought. House began to reconsider his decision to work with them. But he was still as desperate as he'd been a little while ago. This was the only chance he had.

"Okay, we can do this. I just don't want to ever hear the words 'rammies' or 'jammies' again, understand?"

They nodded.

"So did you find a place to keep us."

"Got it." Ellen said. "My uncle has a beach house. Not only is it now out of season, this place is in a pretty isolated spot. No neighbors around and no one driving by."

"He'll let you use it?"

"Yep. He doesn't have kids, so he lets his nieces and nephews use it all the time. No problem."

"But you have to secure us in one room."

"Why can't we just lock you into the house?" Sally asked.

"Bob and I learned how to pick locks to get into fraternity houses and other places when we were in college. She'd be able to figure a way to get out."

Ellen nodded, "That's fine. There's a small room on the first floor with an attached bathroom. It has a high small window. It's really only used when we have too many people there. We can put a padlock on the outside of the door and keep you locked in."

"That'll work." House said. "You need to put a small fridge in there and a microwave. Stock it with enough food for two days. New toothbrushes and toothpaste in the bathroom. Also deodorant, soap, shampoo, etc."

"Why?"

"Because Bob likes to be clean and comfortable. I don't want her to be miserable. She'll be more willing to listen to me if she's not."

"That's true."

"I have a gun." Ellen said.

Sally and Betty stared at her with wide eyes.

"Are you crazy?" Betty asked. "You can't bring a gun!"

"This is getting bad, very bad." Sally cried.

House looked at her. "Just make sure there aren't any bullets in it."

The other two now stared at him.

"You think she should bring a gun?"

"Of course. How else are you going to get her to do what you want? Or make her believe you kidnapped me? Just no bullets. I don't trust any of you with a loaded gun."

"Where did you get a gun?" Sally whispered.

"Oh, please! I'm a single woman living alone in Jersey. Of course I have a gun."

Betty just shook her head.

House threw something on the table. "Oh, and take this."

"What's this?"

"A pre-paid cell phone. Hide it in the room. Somewhere she won't be able to find it, but tell me where it is."

"Why?'

"In case of an emergency. I'm not putting her life in danger for this. If she gets sick or something, I want be able to contact someone. And don't hide it somewhere high. I need to be able to get it and I'm not good at climbing."

"You really love her, don't you?" Sally was moony-eyed again.

"Why do you think I'm doing this?"

The three of them nodded, their eyes getting misty.

He rolled his, and gave them a few other details that he wanted included. Then he got to his feet. "Call me when you've got everything ready and we'll finalize the plans."

He started to walk away from the table. "So you're sure Sam will end up with Jeff, right? What if she ends up with someone else, someone completely different?"

"That can't happen!" they all cried. "It has to be Rodney or Jeff. And we believe it must be Jeff."

He rolled his eyes again as he headed for the door, then turned his head to add, "You can pay for my food. Just think of it as a stab to the 'Rammies.'"


	54. PART 3 Chapter 41

Chapter 41

At her next Thursday class, Bob was met by her fans afterward.

"Roberta, we've been so worried about you! We want to take you to dinner at a special place we know."

"I'm not really hungry." She told them.

"Come on, just have a salad or something. We really want to cheer you up."

Bob sighed. She knew they meant well. "Okay, but just for a bit. Where is this place?"

"Oh, we'll drive. Come with us."

Bob looked at them warily, then shrugged and headed to their car. She got in and leaned her head back while they chattered on. After a while, she sat up and realized they'd been driving for a long time. She looked around, but it was dark. Still she didn't recognize the route. It actually looked like they were in the pine barrens.

"Where are we?"

"Just going to our special place."

"It seems pretty far." Bob said. "Look, I've changed my mind. I'm really tired. Can you just take me back to my car and we can get together another time?"

"We can't do that, Roberta. We've got to do this."

"What are you talking about?"

Ellen pulled out the gun.

"Oh, my God! What are doing? This is crazy! Please, all of you, don't do this!"

"It's for your own good." "We're just trying to help." "We won't hurt you."

Bob continued to plead with them, until Ellen waved the gun at her and told her to please be quiet. So she sat shivering in fear. Oh, God, Greg was right about them! They were stalkers! And what did they have planned for her now?

After driving some more, they finally turned down a secluded lane. Bob couldn't see any houses or lights, but they pulled up to a house. It was medium size and there was a light burning inside.

They parked the car and Ellen pointed the gun and said, "Please get out, Roberta. Slowly."

Bob kept her eyes on her and slid out of the car. They led her into the house and through the living room and kitchen to a door with a padlock on the outside. The padlock was new and Sally took out a key and unlocked it. They indicated that she should go in.

The room was small. There was a small chest of drawers with a large cardboard box on top of it. Beside it was a small refrigerator with a microwave oven sitting on top of that. Against the wall that contained a window about six feet up, sat a small table with two chairs. There was an open door to the right that had a bathroom. In the center of the room was a queen size sofa bed that was opened up.

And sitting on the bed was House, a handcuff round his wrist that was attached to a long chain.

"Welcome to Alcatraz." He said.

"Greg, what are you doing here?"

Betty stepped forward. "That's what this is about. We want the two of you to talk, to make up. You're staying here for two days and, hopefully, by the end of that time, you'll realize how much you mean to each other."

"It means that much to you that we make up?"

"If you make up, Sam and Jeff stay together."

"If that's all it takes, fine, I'll be sure they stay together. Happy? Now you can let us go."

"No. Unless you're happy with Dr. House, Sam won't be happy with Jeff."

"Take off your coat."

Bob slipped her coat off and Betty hung it on a hook next to House's. She saw his suit jacket laying on a chair by the table.

Sally slipped a terrycloth wristband over her wrist, then clamped the other end of the handcuffs to her. Bob saw that House had the same on his arm.

"We don't want the handcuffs to bother you." She said.

"Oh you don't? And you don't think kidnapping us is bothering me? Waving a gun in my face isn't bothering me?"

"Please, Roberta. We don't want to hurt you. There is plenty of food and drinking water here. There's an electric heater right here and it will keep running. We'll be back on Sunday morning to take you home. We promise."

"Right, like I believe you."

The three women glanced at each other, trying to avoid looking at House. "You'll be fine here. And we WILL be back."

They left the room and Bob heard the padlock being locked.

"This is bullshit!" She got up quickly and started for the door.

Behind her, she heard a thump. She turned to see House on the floor.

"Can you watch the sudden movements?" he complained. He lifted up the arm with the handcuff. "We're sorta joined here and I'm not that quick on my feet."

She looked down. She hadn't really addressed the fact that he was in the room with her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't…Oh, God, what are we going to do?"

"Well, I'm getting something to eat." He said.

"Eat? You're going to eat? We've been kidnapped and locked in a room and you're going to eat?"

"Yes, I am. As far as we know, we're going to be here until Sunday. Not eating isn't going to help that. They grabbed me before I had dinner, so I'm hungry."

He limped, without his cane, to the small fridge and took out one of the containers.

"Looks like chili."

"Don't eat that! They could be poisoning us!" Bob said.

"That would seem like a pretty convoluted way to kill us. They could have just shot us. Why set up this room with food and everything just to give us poisoned food?"

"I just don't trust them."

"Fine, I'll taste everything first. If it doesn't kill me, feel free to eat."

He put the chili in the microwave and waited for it to heat up. So far, she had avoided looking at him, but now she glanced his way. His face was drawn and tired looking. He still looked gorgeous to her, but she could see the strain.

"I'm sorry, Greg. This is my fault. You were right about them. I should have listened to you."

"That's true. You should have. But then, most people learn that lesson the hard way." He removed the bowl from the microwave. "But this is not your fault."

"It is."

"Just because some crazies got an idea in your head, that's not your fault." He turned to look at her. "We're moving now."

"What?"

He held up the handcuffed wrist. "We need to move in unison. I'd like to sit down to eat."

"Oh, sure."

He moved to the sofa bed and sat down. She went along with him and sat as well. She watched him as he dug into the chili. She hadn't seen him since Valentine's Day when he'd left her house. She'd successfully avoided him until now, when three crazy women decided to end that.

She still loved him. She knew that was true. She would probably always love him. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that she wasn't sure he would always love her. And she couldn't stand the hurt. She knew this stunt wouldn't change that.

House finished eating and put the bowl on the table.

"Bedtime." He announced.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I worked all day. And since there's no TV, I might as well go to sleep."

"How can you possibly sleep?"

"It's easy. I've been doing it all of my life. You just lie down and close your eyes. Hell, you don't even have to lie down. I've fallen asleep standing up."

She glared at him. "I mean, how can you sleep now? When we've been kidnapped?"

"If I stay awake, will we be let go?"

"No, but…"

"Then, I'm going to sleep. Maybe in the morning we can figure something out. Or maybe we could do what they want and actually talk to each other. Anyway, I'm sleeping now. And since we're joined –" he held up the handcuffed wrist, "—I'll need your cooperation to do it."

She glared at him some more, but realized that he was right. There was no point in staying up all night fretting about their situation. His left arm was joined to her right, so he would have to take the right side of the bed. Realizing that he would have a harder time climbing across the bed, she allowed him to stretch out on the right side, while she made her way to the left.

She dangled her feet off the bed to kick off her shoes. House waited until she finished, before doing the same with his. Then he reached out and turned off the lamp on the bedside table.

"G'night." He told her.

"Night." She replied.


	55. PART 3 Chapter 42

**A/N: I want to thank my friend glenlivet19 - the brilliant author of the Elle Word - for her suggestion about the bathroom that made this chapter work so much better. Where would we be without our friends? Especially when they are clever writers as well!**

Chapter 42

Bob lay awake a long time, thinking about the man lying beside her and the situation they were in. The situation was definitely strange, possibly dangerous, and yet, unbelievably exciting. But the man was same one she had loved for most of her life.

She heard House's deep breathing, indicating that he was asleep. She moved onto her right side, bringing her into close contact with his body. Her left hand splayed over his chest. She knew she really shouldn't do that, but since he was asleep, there was no crime in at least enjoying the moment.

She breathed in the scent of him and cuddled a little closer. Her hand lightly caressed his chest through his shirt.

House had tried very hard to keep his breathing slow and steady so that Bob would think he was asleep. When he felt her hand move on his chest, he knew she was awake as well, probably worrying about their situation. He was too, but not for the same reasons.

He was beginning to doubt the wisdom of his plan. She still might not talk to him and if she found out he was behind it, she would be seriously pissed. He realized now that the whole thing could blow up in his face.

Still, here he was and since there was no way out at the moment (unless he used the cell phone they had hidden), he may as well continue with the charade.

He realized that since Bob had cuddled against him, she had fallen asleep, so he took the opportunity to cover the hand she had on his chest with his right one. He also lightly kissed the top of her head leaning against his shoulder.

Maybe he could still make this work. He wasn't going to reveal the plot right now. Because no matter what happened, at least he'd have this little bit of time with her.

Bob woke up and found she had rolled over to her right side, causing House to have to roll over as well and spoon her. Her right arm – the one attached to him – was curled into her other hand, so his left arm was cross her body. And his hand was on her boob. Of course.

He was asleep and she had obviously rolled over into this position, so she couldn't chastise him for it, but it was awkward.

And nice.

Memories flooded her of their time together. She wanted nothing more than to slide under him and let him bury himself in her. But that wouldn't solve anything and would just make things more difficult.

Reluctantly, she moved her arm, causing him to move his. She rolled onto her back, but kept her eyes closed, trying to reclaim sleep, but realized it was useless. Besides, nature was now calling.

And wasn't that going to be fun while attached to House.

She tried to put it off, but really, how long could she? She may as well get it over with and try not to drink very much during the day.

She shook him lightly. "Greg, you need to wake up."

"Why?" he muttered, barely audible.

"Because I have to pee."

"So pee. You have my permission."

"Unfortunately, I need more than that."

"Huh?" He opened his eyes finally and she held up their joined arms. "Oh, right. Actually, I have to go too."

She hadn't thought of that. Not only would he be present when she went, she'd have to be there when he did. Getting a view again of his equipment might be a little hard to handle.

She moved around the bed and climbed out on his side, then waited while he got up. Their captors had taken his cane, so she held out her hand so that he could lean on it as he got up.

Together, they walked to the little bathroom. There was no tub or shower, just a toilet and sink. But there were towels and washcloths. There were also two brand new toothbrushes in packages and a tube of toothpaste. Also laid out on the sink were brand new brushes and combs, deodorants, soap and body lotion.

"Well, I have to admit, they really set this up well." Bob observed. "They thought of everything."

"Yeah, everything except the key to the door. Do you want to go first?"

She nodded and they moved to the toilet. But she hesitated before doing anything else.

"Well? Come on, I have to go too."

"Um, could you turn around?"

"You've got to be kidding me! I think I've seen you plenty of times before. I've even seen you pee before."

"Please, Greg, I'd feel more comfortable if you'd turn."

He blew out a breath. "Oh, okay. But no sneaking peeks at me, understand. I'm not that easy."

She smiled as he turned away. She lifted her skirt, pulled down her panties and tights and did her business as quickly as possible. When she was finished, she moved carefully to the sink to wash her hands.

"All yours." She said.

She opened up one of the toothbrushes and concentrated on washing her face and brushing her teeth, trying not to think about him and his state of undress. But she didn't hear anything going on next to her. Suddenly, she felt her arm pulled close to his body.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Trying to pee."

"You don't need my hand there to do that!"

"No, but I need both hands to undo my zipper. So you'll be giving me a hand whether you want to or not."

Her face turned suddenly red and she turned her head so that she wouldn't have to see how close her hand was to where another part of her body wanted to be.

She heard him complete his business and felt her hand return to his genital area as he zipped up again. She closed her eyes briefly, then returned her attention to the sink to finish her ablutions.

He waited until she was done at the sink. When she moved aside a bit, he washed and brushed his teeth as well. In the meantime, she combed her hair.

Finally, she looked at him and he nodded. They moved together back into the room. There was a coffee maker on the bureau next to the microwave and there were jugs of spring water. She set about making coffee for them, while House opened up the box containing muffins.

Because the little table was right next to the bureau, House went ahead and sat at one of the two chairs. She didn't mind, as she knew he wasn't very steady on his feet without his cane. She was able to carefully hand over the mugs of coffee and the muffins.

They sat together in silence. House managed to down two muffins with his coffee, but she picked at hers.

When they finished, they sat at the table for a bit, then House said, "So, do you have a deck of cards?"

"No."

"Monopoly? Checkers?"

She shook her head.

"Wanna play charades?"

She gave him a withering look.

He looked at the floor as he asked. "Do you want to talk?"

"No. That's what they want us to do. I'm not giving in to them."

"Right, because then the terrorists win."

"Actually, in this case, they do."

"Okay." He stared at the floor again. "You wanna have sex?"

"God, no!"

"Alright, then, I'm taking a nap."

"A nap? How can you take a nap?"

"Didn't we have this discussion about sleep last night? I thought I explained the concept to you."

"You just woke up!"

"You don't have any games with you. You don't want to talk. Ready to rethink sex?"

She shook her head.

"Then I'm taking a nap."

He moved to the bed and lay down. With no other choice, she moved to the other side, but didn't lie down. She propped herself up against the back of it while he closed his eyes.

The minutes ticked by slowly as she sat there. There was nothing to read, nothing to look at, nothing to do. She squirmed, moving back and forth, trying to think what she should do. She breathed in and out, crossed and uncrossed her ankles and was basically as bored as a person could be.

"Okay," she said, "You're right. I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"So sex?" he said, not opening his eyes.

"No, let's talk."


	56. PART 3 Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"Okay," he said. "Let's talk."

She sighed. "You are the one who's been wanting to talk to me all of these weeks."

He sat up so that he was next to her. "I know.'

She turned her head to look at him, a question on her face.

"Why did you shut me out?" he asked her.

"Because you were disgusted when you found out you slept with a fat girl and didn't know it."

"No, I wasn't."

"You were. Don't lie to me. And if you were disgusted then, how do I know you won't be disgusted again if I gain the weight back?"

"I wasn't disgusted." He insisted.

"You ran out of my house and couldn't talk to me. It upset you that much."

"That's not what upset me."

"Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not lying! That's not what upset me."

"Then what?"

He stared at the ceiling for while before saying, "I was upset that I slept with you and didn't know it."

"Right, because it disgusted you."

"No, because it meant something."

She laughed bitterly. "Oh, yeah, sure. That's why."

"It is."

"Greg, we lived together for seven years. If you'd wanted to sleep with me, you had plenty of opportunities. But it never happened until you were drunk and didn't know what you were doing."

"No, it didn't happen until I was too drunk to think about what I was doing."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember the girls I slept with back then?"

"Yes, all model thin and gorgeous." She said with a tinge of disgust.

"Right. Also stupid, shallow bitches. Not a one of them that I could fall in love with. Lust? Hell, yes. But not love."

She was silent, waiting for him to continue.

"I didn't want to fall in love. I was too young and I had way too much to do. Not to mention, I didn't even know if I would be any use as someone's partner. My childhood didn't really prepare me for a loving relationship.

"By choosing the bitches, I could get all the sex I wanted without any emotional entanglements. I was safe that way.

"But you were a problem."

"A problem?" She asked. "Why?"

He looked away from her and stared at nothing, almost as though he was seeing into the past.

"You were…special. You took care of everyone. The guys in the house would have been thrown out if it wasn't for you. You made sure everyone paid the rent on time. You made sure the parties didn't get out of hand. You dispensed aspirin for hangovers and chicken soup for colds. You were…sweet."

"Gee, thanks."

"But you were also fun. You'd watch sports and curse at the players. You'd get drunk with the guys and put up with the belching and farting."

She rolled her eyes. "So why was I a problem?"

"You were a problem because I knew you were the one girl I could fall in love with."

"Bullshit. You didn't love me then."

"I didn't want to. I didn't want to love anyone. But with you, it was hard. You were so damned nice. But you were also sassy. And you didn't take any shit from me. I knew that if I got together with you, that'd be it. I'd be a goner."

"But I was fat!"

"Will you get off that broken record? Who cares?"

"You did! You dated the skinny girls."

"Because they were the opposite of you."

"Exactly!"

"They were the opposite because they were bitches, not because they were thin."

She looked unsure.

"You were beautiful then. You're beautiful now. But not because you're thin. Because you're you

"I loved you then and I love you now. I'll always love you. If you gain two hundred pounds, I'll love you just as much. Maybe more, 'cause then you'll keep snacks in the house."

Her wariness started to fade, but it was replaced by the tears welling in her eyes.

"I'm not lying, I swear!" he said.

"I believe you." She said in a voice so low he could barely hear her.


	57. PART 3 Chapter 44

Chapter 44

His blue eyes were intense as he stared at her. He was silent, hardly daring to believe her words were true.

"Seriously?" He said finally.

She nodded.

He pulled her close to him and said, "Thank you."

"I'm sorry I doubted you. That I thought you were shallow."

"I am shallow. Just not where you're concerned."

She smiled. "We wasted a lot of time. Years that we could have been together."

"I know. I thought about that too. I wondered what would have happened if you'd been with me when my leg…"

"It might not have been any different."

He was shocked. "You would have done the same thing?"

"Well, maybe not as quickly."

He gave her a questioning look.

"Lisa and I talked about it. She told me everything that happened. How they put you in the coma to sleep through the pain."

He nodded.

"She told Stacy that they would monitor you for forty-eight hours. They would have been there if you'd gone into cardiac arrest again.

"Stacy should have waited at least twenty-four hours. If it had been me, I would have waited and if there was no improvement or your condition deteriorated, then I would have done what she did.

"She was your medical proxy. She knew what you wanted and when she made that decision, your life wasn't yet in danger. If, after some time, it was, then she would have had the right to do what she did."

He was silent, thinking about her words.

"But," she added, "If she had done that, you might still be with her and I wouldn't have had a chance."

"It was only because I thought I had no chance with you that I was with her." He told her.

She smiled. "You always had a chance with me."

"You got married! You moved on without me."

"I got married because I didn't think I ever had a chance with you. And he was charming – at first – and had blue eyes."

He smiled at her.

She continued. "I can't remember when I didn't love you. Even when I got married, I was wishing it was you standing beside me."

He stared at the ceiling for a moment, then said, "You know, I also wondered if we'd have had kids or something."

She looked at him. "I didn't think you wanted kids."

He shrugged.

"Well," she said, "I don't know what kind of a mother I'd be, but you would have been a terrific father."

He looked at her in amazement. "How do you figure that? You know how my childhood was."

"Exactly. You'd know just what not to do. And you're smart and funny. You could teach your kid so many cool things about science, music, everything. You'd be honest with him, but you wouldn't take any crap either."

He shook his head. "I don't know about that."

"I do. You know, it's not too late for you. Men can become fathers in their old age. Just because an old broad like me can't…"

He put his finger on her lips. "I don't care about becoming a father. I care about you, about us."

She snuggled closer to him. She used her right hand (the one in the handcuff) to grab his left and entwine their fingers. Then she pulled their joined hands to her lips and kissed his.

His blue eyes bore into her brown ones as he leaned down to kiss her lips gently. She closed her eyes. Then, just as gently, his lips touched each eyelid, her nose, her cheeks. He pause and she opened her eyes. He stared deeply into hem and moved closer, his lips parted as he touched hers. She opened her mouth and their tongues met in a passionate kiss.

Her left arm went around his neck and his right hand moved to her waist to push her turtleneck sweater up. As he did, his hand moved to her breast.

His lips moved from her mouth to nuzzle her ear, then he whispered, "Can we get rid of some of these clothes?"

"Yes."

It wasn't easy because of the handcuffs, but she helped him undo his jeans and slide them and his boxers off. Then he helped her get rid of her tights. They just pushed her skirt up.

He was almost ready for her, so a few manipulations with her hand had him at full salute.

He rolled her onto her back and, with their joined hands still entwined and his right hand caressing her breast, he thrust inside her.

She cried out, "Ohhh!"

He moved, slowly at first, holding on to her hand and staring into her eyes. As he started to increase the rhythm, she wrapped her legs around his waist and they moved in unison for awhile.

Finally, he reached his right hand between them and began to caress her. In a few moments, she was toppling over the edge and he followed seconds later.

He held her, their hands still entwined. He knew that he should probably tell her the truth about the kidnapping.

He opened his mouth to say it, "Bob---"

"Mmmm." She murmured and snuggled closer. "What?"

He started to say it, but instead, out of his mouth came, "Marry me."

"No." she said.


	58. PART 3 Chapter 45

Chapter 45

He pulled back to look at her. There was hurt in his eyes.

"Why not?"

"I've been married. Not doing that again." She looked at him. "Why do you want to?"

"Stacy and I lived together and she left."

"So? I was married and he left. Marriage doesn't bring any guarantees."

"No, but it's a lot harder."

"Maybe." She thought about it. "Is that why? You just want to make if hard for me to leave?"

He was silent.

"Greg, I love you. And now that I really understand your feelings, I'm not going to leave you."

"Promise?"

"Of course."

"No, really, do you promise not to leave me no matter what?"

She narrowed her eyes. She knew Greg House too well to accept that without question. "Why? What have you done?"

"Nothing."

"But you think I'd be mad about something you've done or are planning to do."

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to. I know you."

"It's just that I love you and I don't want to lose you. I don't want to be alone anymore. I know that sometimes I say or do things that are not always the best decision I could make. I don't want to lose you because I was stupid."

She was quiet, then took a deep breath. "As long as you don't do anything deliberately mean or hurtful, I think I can forgive you most anything else."

"Define deliberately mean or hurtful."

"Something set out to hurt me or you being mean for means sake."

"So if I'm not trying to hurt you and my intentions are good, you'll forgive me?"

"Yes, Greg, in those cases, I'll forgive you."

He smiled and sat back, relieved. Maybe he could actually come out of this okay.

She shook her head, wondering what was going on in his.

But then he pulled her to him and kissed her and she forgot about whatever was on his mind.

They spent the rest of the day either making love or napping. They got up to eat and use the bathroom. They fell asleep for the night in each other's arms.

The next morning, when they woke up, it was to the knowledge that the two of them were where they belonged. Most of the day was a repeat of the one before.

They also talked some more and House tried to pin down why she didn't want to get married.

"I just feel that we've got a good thing going and we don't need to ruin it. I love you and I will stay with you. I just don't want to marry you."

"But why don't you?"

"Why do you? Why is it so important?"

"I don't know, it just is."

"I'm not leaving you, Greg, that's all that should matter."

House considered telling her the truth about the kidnapping right then, but he was enjoying the time they were spending together with no one to interrupt them. He decided to let the game play out. He would tell her the truth when it was over. But, really, what harm would it do to keep up the charade until Sunday morning?


	59. PART 3 Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Bob woke up, shivering. Even with House's arms around her, she was freezing. She pulled the covers up closer around them. But it didn't help.

She assumed the temperature had dropped during the night. Maybe she just needed to adjust the heater. Her watch had a little night light, so she checked it: Five A.M.

She tried to slip out of bed, but no matter what she did, she would disturb House.

"Greg," she whispered, "I need to check the heater."

He groaned. "It's cold. Get back in bed."

"I know it's cold. That's why I need to adjust the heater."

He sighed, but moved with her as she climbed out of bed. She reached for the bedside lamp, but it wouldn't turn on.

"The light won't work."

She moved out of bed carefully. There was another lamp on the bureau. She made her way there and tried it.

"This one won't go on either."

"Try the bathroom." House suggested.

She nodded and they made their way to the bathroom. She flicked the light switch. Nothing.

"Greg, the power's out."

"Looks like it."

"What could have happened?"

"Don't know."

"Weather?" she asked. "A thunderstorm could affect the power."

They were silent, then he said, "Do you hear rain or thunder?"

"No."

"It's not a thunderstorm."

She glanced around the room. Even in the darkness, she could see the moonlight shining in the little window.

"Come over here. I need to look out the window."

"It's too high." He told her.

"It's only about six feet. I can get up on a chair."

She pulled the chair over to the wall where the window was.

"Hold it steady."

He put his hands on the top of it and she carefully climbed up. Once on it, she could just see out of the window.

"Oh, my God!" she said.

"What?"

"It's snowing."

"It can't be. It's March. Late March."

"Well, it may be late March, but it's still snowing. And not just snowing, it's a blizzard. There's got to be several feet on the ground already."

She climbed down.

"The heavy snow must have knocked out the power lines." He said.

"Well, let's hope they keep their word and come back tomorrow."

"Uh, Bob…" he began.

"What?"

"If it's that bad, they're not going to be able to get through. The state would close the roads."

"Greg, we could be stuck here for days before they can dig out the roads."

"And if the authorities think this is just a summer house on a deserted road, they're not going to waste their time."

"Those crazy women won't tell anyone we're here because they would be arrested. Or they'd think they're nuts." She said.

"Well…"

"Greg, we have no heat. We're going to freeze to death!"


	60. PART 3 Chapter 47

Chapter 47

House thought about the cell phone that he knew was taped to the bottom of the bed. He wondered if he should pull it out now. Feeling like a coward, he decided to wait until morning. There was nothing to be done now anyway.

"We may as well get back in bed. It's freezing out here. We can keep warmer huddled together."

"I guess you're right."

He gestured toward the hook behind the door. "Get our coats. We can use them to help keep warm."

She grabbed the coats. They both put on all the clothes they had taken off and slipped their coats on the arms that weren't handcuffed and over the shoulders of the ones that were. They grabbed all the blankets and piled them on the bed, then slipped under them.

They stayed close, trying to keep as warm as they possibly could. House kept hoping the three stalkers would arrive or send help. But when two hours passed and they were still trying to keep warm and getting colder, he realized that they probably weren't coming.

He could feel Bob shivering and started to worry that hypothermia might be starting to set in. He wasn't sure how long they'd been without heat, nor how long it would take for extreme symptoms to start, but he didn't want to take any chances either.

Time for emergency measures.

House moved carefully out of bed.

"What are you doing?" Bob whispered.

"Don't worry about it. Just need to do something."

"Well, there isn't much you can do without me, remember?"

He paid her no attention, as he reached under the bed with his right arm and pulled something out. She peered over the edge of the bed.

"What's that?"

"It's a cell phone."

"A cell phone? Where did that come from?"

"Under the bed."

"I looked under the bed before, I never saw it."

He hesitated, before saying, "It was taped to the bottom of the bed."

"How would you know that?"

He didn't answer as he turned the phone on and tried to get a signal.

"Greg, answer me. How did you know there was a cell phone under the bed?"

"I found it there."

"What would make you look for it there?"

When he didn't answer again, she slapped him on the arm. "Greg, I want an answer. How would you think to look under the bed for a cell phone taped to it?"

He avoided looking at her, but finally said, in a low voice, "Because I told them to put it there."

Her voice was as cold as the room. "What did you say?"

"I told them to hide it there."

"You told who?"

"Our kidnappers."

She stared at him for a long time, absorbing the meaning of his words.

"Are you telling me that you knew about this in advance?"

He nodded.

"And you went along with it?"

He winced and said, "It was sort of …my idea."

"Your idea!"

"Well, they wanted to kidnap you. I suggested they kidnap both of us."

"What?"

"I didn't think just kidnapping you would do any good."

She stared at him again, anger and shock overwhelming her. She didn't know just what to say to him.

He fiddled with the phone, then threw it down in disgust. "I can't get a signal."

"Of course you can't get a goddamned signal! It's a fucking blizzard outside! What kind of a stupid, dumbass shithead are you?" She was yelling, her eyes blazing.

He knew that she only cursed like that when she was really pissed.

Oh crap, he thought. It's hit the fan now.


	61. PART 3 Chapter 48

Chapter 48

"What the hell were you thinking? How could you come up with a shit-for-brains idea like this?"

"It was the only way to get you to listen to me! I tried to talk to you and you shut me out."

"So lock us in a room in a blizzard?"

"There wasn't supposed to be a blizzard. No snow was predicted."

"Oh my, the great and powerful Gregory House can't control the weather?"

"Not yet." He muttered.

She glared at him and was silent for a long time. He was afraid to say anything, but knew he had to.

"We need to try to keep warm." He told her. "Although I can tell you're pretty hot under the collar right now, I don't think that will last."

She just continued to glare at him.

"Let's get back under the covers and huddle together."

"Do you really think I'm going to get all comfy with you again?"

"Bob, come on!"

"Come on? Come on? It's a fucking freezer in here! We're locked in! No one is going to rescue us. We're going to die here!"

"We're not going to die."

"You're a doctor. You must have heard of hypothermia."

"Yes, which is why we need to try to keep warm."

"I just can't believe you would do something as lame-brained as this!"

He watched her pace back and forth in front of him.

"Are you going to forgive me for it?" he asked her.

"Forgive you? This was the stupidest thing you could ever do and you want me to forgive you?"

"You promised that you would forgive me as long as my intentions were good."

"I also said that you couldn't be mean or hurtful."

"I wasn't being mean or hurtful."

"I think that killing us falls under hurtful."

"I didn't know it was going to snow!"

"Ellen had a fucking gun!"

"It wasn't loaded."

"How do you know that?"

"I made sure. I told her she couldn't put bullets in it and I checked it before they went to get you. It was just to, uh, 'convince' you to go along with them."

She glared at him again. But he could see that she was starting to shiver again. It was really cold in the room and if they had any chance to survive until help came, he had to try to keep her warm.

"We've got to get under the covers. If you don't want to huddle with me, fine. It would be better if we used each other's body heat, but if you don't want to, then we can wrap up in individual blankets. But we have to try to stay warm."

She knew he was right. She climbed back into bed and he followed. She moved next to his body and piled the blankets on top of them. He put his arms around her and held her close to him.

"I'm sorry." He said. "I really thought this would be a good way for us to get together. I tried to think of everything. That's why the phone was under the bed. In case of any emergency, I didn't want your life to be in danger."

She was silent. She knew that he didn't intend to hurt them, but the truth was, they could die. She didn't know how to respond to him.

"Are you going to forgive me?" He asked again.

"It depends."

"On what?"

"If we die, I am so not forgiving you!"

"Fair enough. And if we don't die?"

"The jury's still out."

He nodded. That was about as much as he could hope for.

They clung close to each other and tried to stay awake. But after an hour, they started to drift off and no matter how they tried, sleep overcame them.


	62. PART 3 Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Betty woke up early on Sunday morning. She usually woke early, but today even more so. Even with House's complicity, she'd been extremely uncomfortable about the kidnapping. There were so many ways it could go wrong. As she lay in bed with her husband snoring beside her, something seemed wrong, although she couldn't hear anything unusual.

And that's when she knew. On the street where they lived, there was always traffic, all times of the day and night. But today, it was eerily silent.

She got out of bed and padded to the window.

"Oh my God!" she whispered when she saw the amount of snow that had been dumped on the street.

She ran downstairs and quickly dialed Ellen's number, turning her TV on while she waited for the other woman to pick up.

It took several minutes before her friend's groggy voice said, "Hello?"

"Look outside."

"Wha…Betty, is that you? Why the hell are you calling at…Jesus, it's six AM."

"Don't worry about the time. Just look outside."

Betty waited while Ellen dragged herself out of bed and stumbled to the window.

Finally she heard, "Oh, crap."

"I know. Turn on the TV. They're talking about how bad it is."

They were both silent for a few minutes, while they listened to the newscasters.

"This is really bad." Ellen said. "Freak blizzard, over two feet of snow already, roads closes except for emergency vehicles."

"I knew this was a bad idea."

"Now, don't panic."

"Don't panic? Don't panic? We locked two people up in a deserted beach house and we can't go to get them."

"Uh…"

"What?"

"In bad storms, that house loses electrical power."

Betty was silent and Ellen could feel her glare through the phone.

Finally she said, "You couldn't have mentioned this before? Like, I don't know, when we were planning this stupid scheme?"

"Who knew there would be a snowstorm? It's late March. Spring begins tomorrow."

They spoke for a few more minutes, deciding that they needed to get Sally and get together to figure things out. Betty got dressed and called Sally to tell her she was coming over. Since she lived across the street, this wasn't a problem.

Sally was still disoriented when she came to the door, but her eyes widened when she saw the snow. Betty quickly filled her in on the conditions and her face went pale when she realized the ramifications.

"What are we going to do?" she cried.

"I don't know."

"Betty, the heater is electric. If the power's out, they have no heat."

"I know that."

They called Ellen again, she was already dressing and getting ready to trudge the four blocks to their houses.

Once they were all together in Sally's kitchen with mugs of coffee (and oatmeal cookies) in front of them, they tried to brainstorm what to do.

"Dr. House has the cell phone. If the power went out, he can call for help." Sally offered optimistically.

"The chances of there being cell service in this blizzard is almost nil."

They pondered this, then Ellen spoke up. "Roberta will figure something out. Think of all the jams she's gotten Sam out of."

Sally nodded enthusiastically.

Betty gave her friends a withering look. "She gets Sam out of jams that she puts her into. **WE** put her in this one."

They were silent again as the minutes ticked by. Then Sally and Ellen began toss out stupid suggestions, and Betty just shook her head.

Finally, Betty spoke up. "You know what we have to do."

The other two stared at her, not wanting to answer.

"Come on, guys, we have to tell someone."

"Who?"

"The police."

"We'll get arrested!" Sally cried.

"Oh, no!" Ellen said. "We'd better not. This was **his** idea. If I'm going down, I'm taking him with me."

"But if we tell the police about Dr. House's part, Roberta will be mad at him and then what will happen to Sam and Jeff?" Sally asked her.

Ellen nodded as she considered that.

Betty looked back and forth between them, incredulous. "You have to be kidding me! You're still worried about the book characters? There are two real human beings that could die! And if Roberta freezes to death, there won't be anymore Sam and Jeff."

The truth of her words quickly sunk in, as she continued quietly. "We have to tell the police what happened and get someone to go there and rescue them."

"Okay." Ellen agreed. "You're right. But why don't we wait an hour or so? If the snow stops, the roads might open and we can to get them.

Sally nodded and looked at Betty hopefully.

"Fine." Betty said. "We'll wait an hour."

An hour and a half later, the Princeton Police Department was abuzz with activity. Cops were in and out of each precinct all night and morning. Every available officer was called in. Some were patrolling the streets; making sure only emergency vehicles were on the roads. Others were helping citizens stranded in the snow or those who needed aid in their homes. There were more phone calls coming in than the 911 operators or police dispatch could handle. So more officers were put into service to help with the calls.

Which is how homicide detective Kate Martin picked up a call from a woman named Betty, who claimed two people were stranded in a house near the seashore.

Detective Martin was ready to write her off as a kook and hang up, when the woman added that she and her friends had locked the couple in the house.

"Why would you do that, ma'am?"

"Because, well, it was sort of a – a kidnapping."

"You kidnapped these people?"

"Sort of. But just so that they could talk. And we were letting them out today. But then it snowed. And since we can't drive there, we can't get them. And we're really worried about them."

Before Kate would do anything, she asked for their names and addresses and sent a patrol care to check them out. Then she took the information about House and Bob.

By the time the patrolman brought them in, Kate had been able to contact the local law enforcement to verify the address she'd been given. Then she called the state police and told them to check out the house. They agreed to do so, but warned her that they were dealing with lots of emergencies and would do their best to get there.

As for the three women, she still wasn't sure if a crime ad been committed or not, so she took all of their information and warned them not to leave the area or there would be a warrant out for their arrest.

The three nodded solemnly and allowed the patrol car to take them home. Kate waited to hear from the state police and hoped, if their story was true, that the two people were still alive.

**A/N: Anyone out there read any of my previous stories? If so, you might recognize Det. Martin.** **I thought it would be fun to put her in here.**


	63. PART 3 Chapter 50

Chapter 50

House had tried very hard to stay awake, but eventually sleep had overcome him. Once it did, he didn't want to wake up.

So he tried to ignore the pounding that was on the fringes of his consciousness.

However, the pounding was getting louder and more persistent. He opened his eyes reluctantly and realized that he wasn't dreaming the sound.

He shook her. "Bob." He said in a voice that was low and tinged with the cold he was feeling.

She didn't answer. He shook her again. "Bob!" He said as loud as he could. There was still no answer and he started to panic. He grabbed her arm and felt for her pulse.

Slow, but there, thank God! But it was alarmingly slow. And her skin was pale, her lips tinged blue.

"Bob, come on sweetheart, wake up. I think the cavalry's arrived. You have to wake up."

In the depths of the sleep she was in, she heard a voice. She tired to ignore it, but it was a voice she knew and a voice her heart was predisposed to respond to.

"Wh-what?"

"I think someone is trying to break down the door.'

"Door? What door?" She was groggy and cold. She'd never been so cold in her life. She couldn't stop shivering, even with the blankets and House's arms around her. She closed her eyes again, wanting to return to sleep.

"No!" he cried. "Don't go back to sleep. Come on, we're going to be rescued."

Minutes after he said that, the door burst open and three men entered. Two were firemen and one was a state policeman.

The policeman walked in and looked around, then saw them in the bed.

"I'm Officer Trout. Are you two okay?"

"Other than freezing our asses off, yeah." House said.

"Are you Dr. House and Dr. Janorski?"

"Yes. She's really cold, can we get her warmed up?"

"My car is warm." Trout told them. "Come on, we'll get her out there."

He signaled to the firemen, who brought in some thermal blankets. They wrapped Bob in them and gave another one to House. Then, one of the firemen carried Bob out of the house. House followed slowly behind, but when he got to the front door, he hesitated. The snow was really high. The firemen had made a quick path, but there was still a lot on the ground. House had no boots, just his sneakers and no cane.

But the other fireman came to his aid.

"I can help you, sir."

House hated accepting help from the strong young man, but his desire to be with Bob was stronger than his embarrassment about his infirmity. He nodded and the fireman took his arm and led him to the car, where Bob was settled in the back seat.

The car was actually a four-wheel drive SUV, equipped with tires with deep treads. House climbed in beside her and immediately reached for her arm to check her pulse again. It was much stronger and the color was returning to her face.

The state trooper was speaking with the fireman, but seconds later, he got into the car.

"How are you folks doing?"

"Getting better." House said.

"Well, that's good."

Bob's eyes opened and she started to look around.

"Greg, where are we?"

"Getting rescued. We're not going to die." He told her. _Well,_ he thought, _at least you aren't. You may still kill me._

She nodded, as her head began to clear and she became more aware of her surroundings.

"How did you know we were there?" House asked.

"Princeton police called. Seems three women called them and told them you were locked in here. They weren't totally clear on why you were locked in. They just said that they were supposed to pick you up this morning, but obviously, they couldn't. Roads were shut down last night. Emergency vehicles only."

"Figured that."

"So why were you locked in that room?"

"It's a long story. I'd rather not get into it right now."

The trooper gave him a nod, but the eyes that were reflected in the rear view mirror said he would expect a full report later.

They drove slowly through the snow and eventually came to a small hospital.

"We're fine." House said.

"Better to get you two checked out. There's a motel down the road. If you're okay, I'll take you there when you're done."

Even though he hated the idea of being in any hospital other than PPTH where he had some level of control, he realized the wisdom of checking them out, especially Bob, since she seemed more affected by the cold.

But by the time they got in the hospital, Bob had revived and was warming up and coherent. The doctor examined both of them, although House snarled at him and said he was fine.

At last, they were pronounced fine. House was given a medical cane, which he hated, but knew he needed. Then Officer Trout drove them to the motel and got them checked in. Once they were in the room, Bob ignored him, went to the bed and immediately burrowed under the covers and went to sleep.

Well, at least she hadn't murdered him yet.


	64. PART 3 Chapter 51

Chapter 51

House sat in the back seat of the SUV and closed his eyes. He may as well sleep. It was a long ride back to Princeton and Bob was in the front with the state trooper assigned to drive them home. And although she was chatting amiably with the young man, she was ignoring him.

They had spent the previous night in the motel in separate beds. In the morning, Officer Trout had brought coffee and Danish for their breakfast, and told them that a young trooper would be driving them home, at which point, Princeton Police wanted to question them about the alleged kidnapping.

Bob had glared at House and thanked the officer, then hadn't looked at him again.

An hour later, when they climbed into the car, she had taken the passenger seat and began chatting with their driver, leaving House in quiet solitude in the back seat. While he didn't feel like talking to the cop, he had hoped the hour plus ride home would give him and Bob a chance to clear the air and that he would get her (almost) promised forgiveness. But apparently, that was not to be.

How she found enough things to talk about during the ride home, she'd never know. But she couldn't allow a break. If she did, she knew that House would try to change the topic. He had already tried to break in and overtake the conversation several times, but she always cut him off, ignored whatever he was saying and continued talking to the trooper.

She really wasn't ready to talk to him right now. She had gone through so many emotions over the last few days. Shock and betrayal when Betty, Sally and Ellen had kidnapped her. And fear when Ellen had brandished the gun.

Trepidation on finding House in the room with her. Embarrassment when they were forced into close proximity. Resignation when she knew she had to talk to him.

And finally relief and joy when he'd told her how he really felt.

She believed him and the love had burst open inside to realize that he had loved her as long as she'd loved him.

The marriage proposal had freaked her quite a bit. She'd never considered getting married again after that first disastrous experience. And she'd certainly never thought she'd marry this man. Even though she loved him fiercely, she feared somehow losing his affection if she tied him down.

While this confusion was still plaguing her, she'd discovered his complicity in the kidnapping and then all other emotions were overcome by anger that he would do such a thing to her.

That was also accompanied by the fear that they would freeze to death.

Now that they were safe and heading home, she was trying to process all those emotions while she carried on inane conversation with the young trooper.

She loved House. She always had and that had never changed through the years. Even when she was angry with him or didn't believe in him, it hadn't changed the fact that she loved him. She had a feeling she always would.

But would she forgive him?

That was the million-dollar question.

She knew that although what he had done was stupid, he had done it out of love and desperation. If she hadn't been so stubborn and refused to talk to him, it wouldn't have been necessary for him to plan the kidnapping.

Still, they could have died and he had to realize the foolishness of his little plot.

There were also his three accomplices to consider. She couldn't press charges against them without including the love of her life. She was still angry, but was she angry enough to send him to jail?

They pulled up to her house and as she got out, the trooper reminded her that the Princeton police expected her that afternoon to make a statement.

She nodded and thanked the man, then headed for her door.

House called out, "Bob!"

She turned reluctantly.

"Are you…are we…?"

"I don't know." She said truthfully and went into her house.


	65. PART 3 Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Bob took a shower, got dressed in nice, clean, warm clothes, then called a taxi to take her to the police station. Her car was still at the university where she assumed it was probably covered by a snowdrift. The weather was much warmer and the snow was melting quickly, but the freak blizzard had dumped over four feet of snow over North Jersey and even with the warmer weather, it would take at least a few days for the snow drifts to disappear.

She didn't feel like dealing with the digging out right now, so she just relied on the taxi.

At the station Bob found Detective Martin, who told her how three women had called the station to have her rescued.

"So, Dr. Janorski, do you want to press charges for kidnapping?"

Bob took a deep breath. "Did they say they kidnapped us?"

"Yes, they did."

"Is that all they said?"

Kate looked at her. "They wouldn't elaborate on anything."

Bob avoided her glance. "Uh, have you spoken to Dr. House yet?"

"Actually, he's in the next office. He's not saying very much. Keeps telling me to talk to you."

Bob knew she had to make a decision here. If she pressed charges against her groupies, she'd have to include House, as the plot had been his idea and they had all been in collusion.

And from the depths of her being, she knew she couldn't do that.

She still wasn't sure if she could forgive him, but she knew she'd never send him to jail.

She shook her head. "It wasn't really a kidnapping. It was just a – a little game, sort of."

Kate nodded. "So no crime was committed?"

At that moment, House came out of the office, accompanied by a uniformed officer.

Kate looked at the officer who said, "He needs to go to the john."

She nodded. House's eyes went immediately to Bob's. She glared at him for a minute, then turned away. Eyes downcast, he continued to the bathroom.

Bob turned back to Kate.

"No." she told her. "No crime was committed. Not yet anyway."

Kate smiled. "I got it. Are you going to forgive him?"

"Haven't decided."

Kate glanced in the direction House had gone. "Understandable. He is hot though."

"I know."

"If you decide not to forgive him, give me his number."

Bob gave her a nod. "He might be more trouble than he's worth."

"What can I say? I'm a masochist. And he is sexy."

********************************************************************************

That evening, Cuddy was sitting with Bob, incredulously listening to what had happened.

"He's done some really lame-brained things, but this takes the cake! The two of you could have died."

Bob agreed.

"You should have sent him to jail." Cuddy told her.

"I couldn't do that anymore than you could." She reminded her friend.

Cuddy nodded. "Something about that damn man always makes you want to protect him."

"I know."

"Are you going to forgive him?"

"Probably. But I still wish I could teach him a lesson first."

"You really should. We can't just let him get away with stuff like this. I'll help you. What do you have in mind?"

"Not sure. But we're two smart women. If we can't come up with something, no one can."


	66. PART 3 Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Wilson stared at House in amazement. "You did what?"

House rolled his eyes and sighed. He knew that would be his friend's response. He braced himself for the lecture.

"How could you possibly think that would work?"

"It did work. She listened to me. We made up…in more ways than one."

"Yes, until you almost killed her."

"Technically, the snowstorm almost killed her. And we would have died together. Don't you think that's romantic?"

"This isn't a Morrissey song! Considering that you don't believe in an afterlife, I'm pretty sure your reconciliation would be short-lived if you both died."

"She promised to forgive me." House muttered.

"What?"

"She promised that as long as I wasn't being deliberately mean and my intentions were good, she'd forgive me."

"I think, when you almost kill her, any agreements made would be considered null and void. You're lucky she didn't have you arrested."

"Right, she didn't. Which must mean that she'll forgive me."

"If I were you, I wouldn't hold me breath on that one."

******************************************************************************

Wilson was home later that night when Bob called. It took her only a few minutes to explain what she wanted to do and ask if he wanted to help.

"Let me get this straight: You want to turn the tables on my best friend, make him pay for what he did and you want me to help you?"

"Yes." Bob said. "What do you think?"

"Hell, yes."

****************************************************************************

The next day, when House and Wilson left the hospital and went to his parking space, House stopped in his tracks. The spot marked 'House' was empty.

Where was his motorcycle?

"Where's my motorcycle?'

"Your…oh my God, you bike! It's gone!"

"Someone stole my bike."

"I'll call the police." Wilson said as he pulled out his phone and quickly dialed. When someone answered, he said, "Yes, I'd like to report a robbery. My friend's motorcycle's been stolen…yes, in Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital's parking lot…yes, it was..."

While Wilson spoke to the police, House kept looking around the parking lot. He knew it was foolish to think it might still be there, but he couldn't help himself.

A few minutes later, a police car pulled up and two officers stepped out, a man and a woman. They were young, but all business as they asked his name and to tell them what had happened.

"Someone stole my motorcycle."

"Where did you last see it sir?"

"I saw it here – in the parking spot with my name on it."

"Are you sure you parked it there sir?"

"Oh, gee, you know some days I get confused, forget my name and park it in a spot with someone else's name, but not today."

The officers ignored the sarcasm and continued to take notes, asking for make, model and description. He gave them all the information they needed.

The male cop gave him his card and told him they would contact him if they found out anything.

They watched the police drive away, then Wilson said, "I assume you could use a ride home."


	67. PART 3 Chapter 54

Chapter 54

House spent the next two days grumbling and complaining to anyone who would listen about the theft of his bike.

No one wanted to listen. Several were forced to.

But Bob wasn't one of them.

She had emailed him and asked him to give her some time to think about everything and not to bother her until she was ready. She would let him know when she was.

As much as it irked him, he did as she asked. He figured he'd have a better chance at getting what he wanted if he gave her the time she needed.

Of course, if she ended up rejecting him, then he'd storm her house and force her to admit how much they needed each other. But for now, he'd wait.

Two days after the robbery, House got a call from the police officer that had investigated it.

"Dr. House, this is Officer Rinaldi. Your motorcycle has been found."

"Yes!" House cried, hardly believing that something could actually go right. "Is it okay?"

"I'm not sure. There might be some damage. I got the report from the police in Virginia."

"Virginia? What's Virginia got to do with it?"

"That's where it was found. I don't have a full report on the condition. But if you want it back, you'll need to go down there with your license and registration to claim it."

"I have to go to Virginia?"

"Yes, that's the only way you can get it."

House sighed. If that was the only way, he supposed he'd have to. The officer gave him the location where the bike would be and hung up.

House made his way to Wilson's office.

"You up for a road trip?"

"Road trip? Where?"

"Virginia."

"Virginia? What's in Virginia?"

"My bike apparently."

"They found it?" Wilson was amazed

"Apparently. But I have to go to Virginia to claim it."

"And you want me to drive you to Virginia?"

"No, I was going to use the Enterprise's transporter, I just need you to work the controls." House told him.

Wilson sighed. "I guess we can go on Saturday."

"No, that's two days away. I need it now."

"I have appointments today. If you insist, maybe we can go tomorrow."

House was about to argue, but realized that Friday was probably the better day anyway. Cuddy was going to a conference and would be gone all day. She'd left a little while ago and while it would be an easy day at the hospital without her, he could play hooky without her knowing it too. Actually, he had pretty much decided to do that anyway.

Now he could play hooky with Wilson and get his bike back. The only thing that would be better would be if Bob were coming along as well. He pushed that thought aside. It had only been a few days. He needed to give her time to think about it.

"Okay, pick me up at ten tomorrow. Bring donuts."

House left to the sound of Wilson sighing and returned to his own office. At least something was going right.

**_A/N: There are only a few chapters left for this story. I appreciate everyone who has put it on alert, made it a favorite and especially commented. Enjoy!_**


	68. PART 3 Chapter 55

**A/N: This is the next to last chapter - let me know what you're feeling!**

Chapter 55

They left a little before ten, with cups of coffee and a box of donuts in the car with them. House had an address in Arlington, Virginia. It was about a three-hour drive.

On the drive there, Wilson made small talk.

"We should visit the cemetery while we're there."

House looked at him oddly. "Why would we want to visit a cemetery?

"The National cemetery. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier? Any of this sound familiar?"

House rolled his eyes. "This isn't a sightseeing trip. We're going to get my bike. That's it."

"I'm just saying. We might as well make a trip of it."

"We're getting my bike and heading back to Princeton."

"Whatever."

When they got to Arlington, House checked the address he had looked up on Mapquest and directed them. They pulled up to a motorcycle repair shop.

House got out of the car and started limping to the office, Wilson following behind.

"Hi, I'm supposed to ask for Mike. The police called me about my motorcycle."

The young man with a shag of brown hair that partially covered his eyes looked up.

"Yeah, I'm Mike. Are you Dr. House?"

"Yes, where's my bike?"

"Uh, it's in the garage."

"Great, just bring it out. I want to ride it home."

Mike gave him a strange look. "Uh, that might a problem. It's not exactly in one piece."

House paled. "How many pieces is it in?"

Mike hesitated. "Maybe you'd better talk to the police first."

"I just want to see my bike."

"You need to go to the courthouse first. The police have to give you the paperwork before I can even show it to you."

"That's not what the Princeton police said. They gave me your address."

Mike shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? I'm only following the rules. I can't let you anywhere near it without the forms from the police."

House was ready to explode, but Wilson put his hand on his arm. "What good will it do to yell at this guy? He's got to obey the law."

House was ready to explode at him too, but decided to hold it for a while. "Where do I have to go?"

"The county courthouse. It's on Courthouse Road. You can't miss it."

"Wow, imagine that. The courthouse is on Courthouse Road. Who'd have thought?

He gave Wilson the directions while House fumed. Without another word, House marched out of the office, hearing Wilson behind him say, "Thank you."

They got back into the car and Wilson started driving again.

House was still fuming. "I can't believe we have to go to the fucking courthouse to get some fucking paperwork before I can see how many fucking pieces my fucking bike is in."

Wilson decided it was best not to respond to that.

The entire ride there, House yelled and complained about people who would steal motorcycles and wreck them. And about two-bit mechanics who wouldn't let you see your own bike. And about cops who couldn't give you the right information so that you went to the right place.

Wilson sighed, but kept quiet.

Eventually they saw the courthouse up ahead of them.

"There it is!" House shouted. "Just pull up to the front and I'll go in and get it. You can wait here."

"House, there are 'no parking' signs all over the place. I can't wait here."

"I didn't tell you to park. Just wait."

"There are 'no stopping or standing' signs as well. This is a county courthouse. I can't just hang around here."

"Fine, then let me out."

Wilson shook his head. "I think I'd better go with you. In the state you're in, you'll get arrested as a terrorist."

"I'm not in any state!" House yelled.

"Right." Wilson said. "You're perfectly calm and happy."

House just glared at him, as Wilson pulled around to the back of the building.

"Why are we here?" House demanded.

"Because you need to get yourself together. You go in there in this state and you're going to get arrested. I'm not bailing you out of a Virginia jail."

House glared at him some more and grumbled something about people who couldn't keep their noses out of other people's business.

"If you didn't want me in your business, you shouldn't have asked me to bring you here. Anyway, I think there is something there that you may want to see."

"What? What are you talking about?" House asked.

Wilson got out of the car and nodded towards the curb a few feet away from them.

House's eyes went wide at the sight as he slowly got out of the car. In bewilderment, he said, "What the hell is going on?"


	69. PART 3 Chapter 56

**A/N: This is the final chapter, folks. I hope everyone enjoyed it. There might be a little epilogue that I have planned for the Fox board's Friday Night OC Challenge on November 20. You'll get that in about a week or so. I'm also in the middle of writing another story, so if you're interested, keep me on author alert. I really appreciate everyone who read this.**

Chapter 56

"What the hell is going on?" House demanded as he viewed the scene in front of him.

Bob was leaning against HIS motorcycle – which was in one piece – wearing tight black jeans, a black t-shirt and a black leather jacket. She had a dark blue helmet in her hand.

Bob smiled. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, what are you doing with my bike? I thought it was in pieces at the repair shop. I thought…" he stopped and turned around to look at Wilson, then back at Bob. "What the hell is going on?"

"What do you think?" she asked him.

"How do you have my bike? Someone stole it…YOU stole it!"

She just continued smiling.

"Motorcycle theft is a felony." He told her.

"Yes, well so is kidnapping."

He gave her a sideways glance.

"Besides, " she continued, "A husband can't testify against a wife."

"A…what?"

She stopped smiling and walked up to him. "You asked me. Do you still want to?"

"I thought you didn't?"

"Well, if it's between marrying you or going to jail, I guess I'll choose the lesser of two evils."

He just stared at her.

She hesitated, then asked again, "Do you still want to?"

"Yes." He whispered.

"Good. We can do it right here."

"What?"

"Virginia. No blood test needed and no waiting period. We can go in and get a license and walk across the street to a justice of the peace and that's it."

He looked a little green at that. "Just like that? Don't you want to have a big…"

"No." she told him. "I want to marry you. Right now. Do you want to marry me?"

He was silent, trying to think of what to say.

"It's April 1, Greg. Come in from the rain."

He looked up at the sunny sky. "It's not raining."

"It was. It's not anymore."

He looked at her, at the woman he loved more than life itself. "I guess this means you forgive me?"

"Yes, but if you ever pull anything so stupid again, you're dead."

He laughed and reached for her. Before she went into his arms, she asked, "Do you forgive me for stealing your bike?"

"Yes. But how in the hell did you do it? I mean the cops came."

"Yes, they did. And it was too bad you didn't play any music when they did. They do a great striptease."

"They drove up in a police car!"

She smiled. "That was brought to you by a certain police detective who thinks you're hot."

He thought about Detective Martin. "She was looking at me – a lot."

"I know. If I get tired of you, I'm supposed to give her your number. She'll keep you in line."

"I don't know. Although a threesome…"

"Forget it."

He laughed again. "Okay, but how did you get the bike down here? You don't have a motorcycle license."

"No, but Devon does." She motioned with her head to a bench to her left. Seated there were Wilson, Cuddy and Devon.

"Son of a bitch! You got them all involved?"

She nodded.

"What about the kid at the repair shop?"

"He's an eighteen-year old kid working in the office of a repair shop. For fifty dollars, he'll tell anyone just about anything."

House just shook his head. He'd never suspected that the theft of his bike was a set up. She had gotten him. But then, she always did. He glanced up at the courthouse beside them.

"Come on, let's go get married."

* * *

Forty minutes later, the five of them walked out of the courthouse, turned right and went into the office of a justice of the peace that Bob had already made an appointment with.

And twenty minutes after that, the bride and groom, their best man and maid of honor (and Devon) walked back to where his bike was parked.

House climbed on and Wilson handed him his helmet from the car. Bob climbed on behind him, her new helmet secured on her head.

As they got ready to ride off, Cuddy said, "Remember, I expect you back at work on Tuesday."

"Sure." House said.

"Roberta, be sure he's back."

"Right, he'll be there." Bob told her. "Thursday, right?"

Cuddy opened her mouth to protest, but House revved up the engine.

As they rode away, House said, "That's my girl!"

THE END

**Thanks everyone!**


	70. Epilogue

**A/N: This is just a little Epilogue/Ending to the story. It was written for Fox Board's Friday Night OC Challenge using the prompt Family Stories. Please read the important info at the end.**

"Uncle George is spending Thanksgiving with us!" Bob excitedly told her husband.

"Why?" House asked.

"You don't like my uncle?"

"I like him fine. But he has three sons and a shitload of grandchildren in Delaware. Just wondering why he would come all the way to New Jersey to spend the holiday with his niece, who has no grand-nieces or nephews for him."

"Because my cousins arranged this cruise for the holiday and all their children are going with them. They thought they'd surprise Uncle George with it, but he refused to go. Said he's not stepping foot off of dry land at his age."

"Well, at ninety, he's certainly entitled to make that decision."

"So my cousins were worried. They didn't want him to spend the holiday all alone, so I called him and invited him here. Do you mind?"

House shrugged. Uncle George was a cool old guy. In the few times he had seen him since their marriage, they'd gotten along pretty well. George was happy that someone had finally married his niece, so House was okay with him.

"Remember, my mother will be here too."

"I know. We'll work it out. And they'll probably get along. Uncle George was in World War II. Your dad was in the military, he'll have things to talk to your mom about.

House shrugged again. As long as he didn't have to do any extra work, it was fine with him.

Thanksgiving dinner was nice, as expected. The group consisted of House and Bob, Cuddy, Devon and Rachel, Wilson and his little nurse, Blythe and Uncle George. Bob was right about the older people finding a lot in common. George was interested in the traveling Blythe had done with her husband to various military locations.

After dinner, they retired to the living room for coffee and after dinner drinks and once again started reminiscing about childhood and memories. No one could remember later how the discussion went to childhood trips, but somehow it did.

"It was funny that Robbie went to work for the Smithsonian." Uncle George said, "Because we almost lost her there once when she was a kid. Do you remember that, honey?"

"The Smithsonian? When was that?"

"You were about ten. Don't you remember?"

"Oh my God, I forgot all about that trip! Yeah, now I remember. It was quite an adventure. My dad was really upset and worried, but I felt very important."

_1968 _

_Smithsonian Institution_

_Washington, DC_

Robbie Janorski was bored to tears in the Arts and Industries Building. The airplanes and all were cool, but she really wanted to see the old stuff. But her cousins were having too much fun with the airplanes and had no intention of leaving anytime soon. She sat on a bench in the corner, impatiently tapping her foot.

At ten years old, she already knew there was more to experience here than just airplanes. There were artifacts from all over the world. She had taken a book out of the library about the Smithsonian before they came on this trip. She knew exactly what she wanted to see. And it wasn't airplanes.

After ten more boring minutes waiting for her cousins to finish and seeing that they weren't even close, she'd had enough. She got up from the bench and walked to the door of the building. With one more glance back at her family, she walked outside.

The map in the brochure she held in her hand showed her exactly which building she wanted: the United States National Museum. That was where the natural history exhibits were housed. She made her way there and within a few minutes she was gazing at the skeleton of a dinosaur.

Before she was finished examing it, she heard a voice say, "Cool!"

She turned her head and saw a small boy gazing in wonder at the dinosaur. He was a little younger than her and shorter. She smiled at him.

"Yeah, it is cool."

He looked at her and she saw the bright blue eyes in the little face. "Do you like dinosaurs?"

"I like anything that's old."

"I like anything that's cool like that." He tilted his head as he looked at the skeleton. "Wonder how he died?"

Robbie shrugged. "Don't know. Does it matter?"

"No, but it would be cool to know."

Robbie looked around for an adult. He was really little to be here by himself. So was she, but she didn't want to consider that.

"Are you all alone?"

"My mom and the others are looking at the airplanes. I got bored."

She smiled. "I know. What's your name?"

He looked at her and thought about it. His parents had warned him about talking to strangers. "Uh, Bruce Wayne."

She gave him a look. "Like Batman?"

"Yep."

She rolled her eyes. "You don't look like Batman."

"Batman doesn't reveal himself to everyone. Only Alfred knows his true identity."

"Okay, Bruce, do your parents know you're here?"

He shrugged, which she took to mean no. "How old are you?" she asked him.

"Eight." He replied. "But I'll be nine next week."

Too little to be wandering by himself, she thought. At ten years old, she felt much more mature than this little boy.

He really needed someone to watch out for him. "Do you want to look at the stuff here together?"

He looked at her again. "What's your name?"

"Robbie."

He knew he wasn't supposed to speak to strangers, but this kid wasn't much older than him. He was kind of pudgy and plain looking. She sure didn't look dangerous. His mom would probably be happy that he wasn't wandering around alone, even though he knew she was going to be mad that he'd gone off alone.

"Okay." He told Robbie.

They explored the building together, making childish observations about all of the animals and other things that they saw. Robbie couldn't believe how smart "Bruce" was for a little kid. If he stayed smart like that, he'd be a genius when he grew up.

They went to the Hall of Human Origins and looked at human skeletons. 'Batman' was really fascinated with them, but Robbie was happier when they went to Western Cultures and checked out ancient civilizations.

About an hour or so after they started their trek, Robbie noticed a security guard staring at them. He had a walkie-talkie in his hand and he spoke into it, then walked up to them.

"Hi, kids." He said in a friendly voice. 'Where are your parents?"

Robbie spoke up. "My mom went to the bathroom and left my little brother here with me."

'Bruce' looked up at her, admiration in his eyes.

"Well, I'll just stay here with you until she comes back."

"You don't hafta." The little boy said. "She doesn't want us hanging out with strangers."

The man smiled at the children and pointed to the patch on his uniform. "Do you see this? It means I'm a security guard. I work for the museum and I'm like a policeman. I won't hurt you, I'm here to protect you."

"We don't need anyone to protect us. We're fine." Robbie told him.

"Well, how about if I don't try to be too close to you? I'll just stay nearby until your mom comes back."

They looked at each other, knowing the man would quickly figure out that they were lying.

They wandered around a little more, but they both knew that their little adventure was about over.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Robbie watched as a dark-haired woman came running up to them. She pulled the little boy into her arms.

"Oh, my God, where have you been? We were so worried!"

"Sorry, mommy." He said in a small voice.

"You can't just wander off alone. Anything could have happened to you."

"I wasn't alone. My friend was with me." He pointed to Robbie.

The woman looked up and saw the child standing there.

Robbie said nervously, "I watched out for him."

The woman smiled at her. "Thank you."

"He's really smart."

"I know and he thinks he can do much more than he can at his age. But I really appreciate that he had someone to take care of him."

Robbie nodded and smiled.

The woman stood up and took her son's hand. "Come on, dear, we need to get back to the others. Let's just hope your father doesn't find out about this."

"'Kay." He turned to look at Robbie. "Bye."

"Bye 'Bruce'. Watch out for the Joker."

He smiled at her and the blue eyes sparkled, before he turned and walked away with his mother.

At that moment, Walter Janorski came running up to her.

"Robbie! What the hell did you do? Why'd you go off?"

"Sorry, Dad. I didn't want to see any more airplanes."

"Aw, honey, you can't just do that. Do you know how worried I was?"

She nodded.

"Come on, let's go find your uncle and cousins. We'll go see something everyone wants to see."

She smiled and took his hand as they left the building.

Robbie smiled as she finished the story. "I felt very grown up and important taking care of that little kid. Even though my dad was really upset."

Everyone was smiling over the story, except for House and Blythe. They were staring at her in amazement.

When she saw her husband's face, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"You made that story up." He told her.

"Well, of course I didn't. Why would I do something like that?"

He turned to his mother. "You told her."

"No, Greg, I didn't. I hadn't thought about that in years."

"Told me what?" Bob asked. "What are you talking about?"

House and his mother stared at each other for a bit, then he finally said, "That was me."

"What was you?"

"The kid. Bruce Wayne. That was me."

"No, it couldn't have been."

Blythe cut in. "John had a week long meeting in Washington. Greg and I went along and while John was in his meeting, some of the other wives and I decided to take the children to the Smithsonian. The other boys were enjoying the airplanes. Greg did too, for a while, but then I turned and he'd disappeared. He always got bored so quickly. I should have known not to stay in one building for too long."

House continued the story. "I was tired of the airplanes and started wandering down the mall. When I saw the picture of the dinosaurs, I knew I wanted to go in there. While I was looking at one, there was this fat kid looking at it too and he started talking to me. He was a little older than me. We hung out together and went through the museum together until my mom found me."

"But it couldn't have been you, Roberta." Blythe added. "I saw the child. It was a boy and he was …chubby, as Greg said."

Bob smiled. "Don't you remember, Blythe, that I was fat? And I always looked like a boy when I was a kid. I grew up with guys and never dressed or acted like a girl. Most people thought I was a boy."

House looked at her in amazement. "So it was you. You were there and you took care of me."

She nodded.

"Guess you were always destined to take care of me." He said, pulling her close to him.

She kissed him on the cheek. "And I always will."

**Author's Note: For your information, the Air and Space Museum building that currently exists at the Smithsonian wasn't built until 1976. Before that, the airplanes and later the spaceships were housed indoors at the Arts and Industries Building or outside at Rocket Row. I figure there probably weren't a lot of spaceships there in 1968, since we hadn't landed on the moon yet. And the airplanes would be interesting to little boys anyway.**

**The Natural History Museum was known as the United States National Museum until 1969 when it was renamed the National Museum of Natural History. Since the artifacts are old anyway, most of them were probably there in 1968. The building was the same at any rate.**

**It wasn't hard to get history of the Smithsonian, but I had to piece together what might have been there in 1968. Hopefully, it makes sense.**

**That's it for this story. I have another one in the wings that, with luck, will begin posting in about a week. Thank you so much for reading.**


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